28.7.4: Competency-Based Assessments

Circadian rhythms support the natural changes that help a person fall asleep, and stay asleep. Do some research and describe how light and darkness may have contributed to early human history and sleep patterns.

Write a paragraph (up to fifty words) describing symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Read this information about drowsy driving and teens. Create a one-page flyer with key information for an audience of high school students.

Select one of the nonbenzodiazepine medications for sleep, and describe the possible adverse effects of the drug in layman’s terms so a patient with minimal medical knowledge will understand.

You are interviewing a 55-year-old male patient who was recently diagnosed as having obstructive sleep apnea. He says he does not sleep well at all and is very sleepy during the day, which worries him. Use the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) Questionnaire with the following information from your patient:

• “I fall asleep while reading or watching TV almost as soon as I sit down. But if I lie down to nap, sometimes I have trouble dozing off. The exception is right after lunch—boy I can fall asleep at my desk after lunch!”
• “I’m worried I might lose my job, because the other day I fell asleep in a meeting at work. I have to get up and walk around at work often or I’ll doze off in the middle of a conversation.”
• “If I’m driving, I don’t get sleepy in the car, but if someone else is driving, I’m asleep in minutes!”

What is your patient’s total score?