Sleep HERMES: a European training project for respiratory sleep medicine

Abstract

The clinical characterisation and description of the obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome (OSAHS) and related syndromes have been revealed by several epidemiological studies conducted in the late 20th and 21st centuries. These highly prevalent syndromes affect about 9% of middle-aged males and 4% of females. These syndromes have serious medical and social consequences, such as cardiovascular or metabolic diseases and even premature death. Consequently, respiratory sleep medicine has evolved and progressed rapidly within the sleep medicine field over the last decades. New diagnostic and therapeutic techniques appeared in response to an increasing number of patients and clinical interventions. The research progressed to focus not only on the clinical and pathophysiological, but also on the genetic and molecular aspects of these syndromes [1–4]. Nevertheless, the literature in the field does not provide any clear consensus on diagnostic classification and assessment. No harmonised standards of training exist across Europe for respiratory sleep medicine. The European Respiratory Society (ERS) conducted a survey in 2010 to enquire about the structure and organisation of training in different countries within Europe. National experts in the field of respiratory sleep medicine from 21 different countries were consulted. They were first asked about the duration of training in respiratory disorders during sleep. A huge diversity in training organisations and durations was revealed. Across 18 collected responses, it was observed that nine countries do not have any specific training for the specialty. Those countries are Luxembourg, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Sweden, Poland, Cyprus, Ireland and the UK. On the contrary, training is organised in the Czech Republic, Germany, Romania, Spain, Lithuania, Finland, Austria, the Slovak Republic and Lithuania but could last from 1 week to 12 yrs. Moreover, except for the UK and the …