Legal and Regulatory Aspects of Sleep Disorders.
Sleep disorders may interact with the law, making awareness important. Insufficient sleep and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are prevalent and associated with excessive sleepiness. Patients with excessive sleepiness may have civil or criminal liability if they fall asleep and cause a motor vehicle accident. Awareness of screening and treatment of OSA is increasing in certain industries. Parasomnia associated sleep-related violence represents a challenge to clinicians, who may be called on to consider parasomnia as a contributing, mitigating, or exculpatory factor in criminal proceedings. Improving access to sleep medicine care is an important aspect in reducing the consequences of sleep disorders.
Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, 615 Michael Street, Suite 205, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
Saiprakash B
SB
Venkateshiah
Department of Neurology, Emory Sleep Center, Emory University School of Medicine, 12 Executive Park Drive NE, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
Romy
R
Hoque
Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco, 747 52nd street, Oakland, CA 94609, USA; Department of Pediatrics, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, 747 52nd Street, Oakland, CA 94609, USA.
Lourdes M
LM
DelRosso
Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, Emory Sleep Center, Emory University School of Medicine, 12 Executive Park Drive Northeast, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA. Electronic address: nancy.collop@emory.edu.
Nancy A
NA
Collop
D006801:Humans; D007878:Legislation as Topic; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy
Legal aspects; Obstructive sleep apnea; Parasomnia; Regulatory aspects; Sleep disorders; Sleep disparities