VA Telehealth Initiative Expands Treatment Access to Rural Veterans With Sleep Disorders

According to a recent VA news article, about 1.7 million veterans (33%) treated by the VA in 2023 had sleep apnea.

The Veterans Affairs (VA) offers a sleep program called TeleSleep, which helps veterans incorporate healthy sleep habits to treat sleep disorders and ensure quality sleep. Dr Kathleen Sarmiento, executive director of the VA National Sleep Medicine Program, oversees the Office of Rural Health’s TeleSleep, which aims to provide sleep care for veterans in rural communities. The initiative first kicked off in 2017, and the VA considers it “the first venture” into a supported sleep telehealth network aimed at reaching rural veterans.

“We’re heavily engaged with using telehealth to reach veterans,” said Dr Sarmiento. She also ads that the specialty of sleep management “lends itself very nicely to virtual pathways for clinical management, performing consults and follow-ups through video, and diagnosing patients with a multitude of sleep disorders.”

The implementation of telehealth services has expanded access to care for veterans with sleep disorders. Most recently, the VA’s TeleSleep program promoted home sleep apnea testing, making access to these services more achievable.

The VA also offers services for veterans with insomnia, such as cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-i), a self-paced course to assist veterans digitally with CBT-i, and a mobile app for veterans to use to help them quiet their minds and implement a consistent and productive sleep routine.

Since the implementation of TeleSleep at the VA, clinical resources are now accessible to veterans in rural areas or who do not live close to a VA medical center. “We’ve worked hard to provide online platforms for self-management to make these treatments more accessible,” Dr Sarmiento said.

Reference

Lutes T. Telehealth increases accessibility to VA sleep medicine programs. VA News. June 5, 2024. Accessed June 6, 2024. https://news.va.gov/131710/telehealth-accessibility-to-va-sleep-medicine/