Networks
Those organizations include: The Commission for Accreditation for Respiratory Care, which credentials all RC educational programs; The National Board for Respiratory Care, which provides the credentialing examinations for all RC practitioners in the United States; The National Association for Medical Direction for Respiratory Care (NAMDRC); the Board of Medical Advisors to the AARC; and the Respiratory Compromise Institute.
The Respiratory Care NetWork has the responsibility of identifying and nominating CHEST members for these liaison positions. These volunteer positions do involve work, yet past and present liaisons have enthusiastically fulfilled their respective roles. As one recently noted, “This work has been some of the most important endeavors of my professional career.”
We are always seeking volunteers for these positions, which vary in time commitment and type of work involved. Please contact the Respiratory Care NetWork (mkosinski@chestnet.org) for further information. These organizations accomplish the type of things that made us all want to get into medicine. Be a part of those important efforts!
Thomas Fuhrman, MD, FCCP
Steering Committee Member
Sleep Medicine
Listening to patient voices: Sleep Apnea Patient-Centered Outcomes Network (MyApnea.org)
The US Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) recently called for input for obstructive sleep apnea screening and treatment for transportation workers. The DOT (https://www.transportation.gov) encouraged input from the public regarding this important transportation safety issue. This concept of engaging the public (which includes patients) with sleep disorders is gaining momentum as patients are increasingly partnering with researchers, clinicians, and policy makers to improve the delivery of care and research efforts in sleep medicine.
A remarkable example of such an effort is the Sleep Apnea Patient-Centered Outcomes Network (SAPCON; MyApnea.Org) (Redline et al. JCSM. 2016;12[7]:1053). This patient-powered research network was initiated in 2013 to improve the diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea through the active engagement of patients, families, researchers, and healthcare providers in a virtual community that facilitates patient-centered research. The need for such an initiative reflects the paucity of patient-centric evidence from large populations to inform insurers, public policy makers, medical schools, and clinicians on the best ways to screen, diagnose, and treat patients with sleep apnea.
As of August 2016, over 8,000 individuals across the globe have joined SAPCON. There are approximately 500 unique visitors to the site per day, with over 2,500 posts on over 250 topics, including blogs on a variety of emerging research and public health topics. Among these topics are driving and general transportation safety concerns. Further engagement of patients and key stakeholders through forums and patient-centered networks can promote the “patient voice” in public policy, while linking patient needs for better information with responsive research and policy development.
Neomi Shah, MD, MPH
Steering Committee Member
