On Feb. 2, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine attended a meeting led by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to develop voluntary evidence-based guidelines for fatigue risk management tailored to the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) occupation. Presentations addressed:
- A brief overview of the potential dangers of drowsy and fatigued driving and the work of EMS practitioners, including the risk of traffic crashes and impact on patient care
- A summary of the project goals and methods for coming to consensus on fatigue risk management guidelines
- The plan for dissemination of guidelines
- Additional project-related activities and information
An expert panel has now been selected to start developing the fatigue risk management guidelines. The panel will be an interdisciplinary team of sleep and fatigue scientists, evidence-based guideline development specialists, and experts in emergency medicine and EMS. The panel will conduct its first meeting April 26-27, and final results and dissemination are expected within the next two years.
AASM will provide more details to members as information is made available.
