Dental Sleep Medicine Insider January DSM Insider 2018 | Page 15
RYAN JAVANBAKHT
4 STEPS TO SLEEP TEST YES
Y
ou know the stats. Millions
of people suffer with obstruc-
tive sleep apnea. More than
85% of them remain undiag-
nosed. What is preventing di-
agnosis? What is inhibiting
patients from moving forward
with a sleep test despite your
recommendation?
In the past few years, sleep
testing models have made di-
agnostic access easier and
more convenient than ever
before. Yet some patients still
balk at moving forward with a
sleep test.
You’ve determined your pa-
tient needs a sleep test, but
they’re resistant. What do you
do? How can you have a more
positive impact on their over-
all health and wellness?
The answer isn’t a new model
or different diagnostic hard-
ware. It starts with you and
your team and continues with
proper patient education but
it doesn’t end there. You must
redirect patients’ perceptions
and set proper expectations.
Finally, follow through with
simple systems that minimize
barriers to testing and in-
crease access to care.
Our highest volume, most suc-
cessful practices follow these 4
steps. Why? Because they get
results.
1. Inside-Out
Start from the Inside-Out. Start
with you…your purpose and
your WHY. Are you and your
team believers in the fact that
you will improve or save your
patients’ lives? When you truly
believe, you will exude confi-
dence and sincere concern for
your patient’s overall wellness.
From there, you must know
your audience - this is a den-
tal patient, in a dental practice,
where you are talking about a
medical condition, and like-
ly billing their medical insur-
ance. Let’s not forget, most
patients in the US view their
healthcare as an expense, not
an investment. Show you care
and generate “buy-in.”
2. Educate Intelligently
Research shows patients will
be symptomatic apneics for
5.2 years before their physi-
cian suggests evaluating their
sleep. That means your pa-
tient’s condition has become
normal for them. Start by
building awareness around
what a normal airway or nor-
mal sleep should look and feel
like. When you see signs of
sleep apnea in your patients,
educate them on the problems
you’ve found (take pictures or
utilize CBCT), and then elabo-
rate on the consequences of
these symptoms, while con-
necting them to the associated
co-morbidities. This will cre-
ate urgency and build value,
allowing you to confidently
order a diagnostic solution –
the sleep test.