P131 The Value of Sleep Psychology

Abstract Introduction Sleep Psychology is a vital but under resourced in the management of sleep disorders. An understanding of the case mix, function and role of sleep psychology within the multidisciplinary team is vital to achieving optimal patient outcomes and service efficiencies. Methods Patients referred to sleep psychology in a multidisciplinary sleep service at a major tertiary hospital between 1 June 2023 and 31 May 2024 were included. The primary referral sleep question/s for intervention and number of treatment sessions relative to sleep psychology resource (FTE) was collated. Results A total of 184 unique referrals were received for the sleep psychology service over the 12 month period. The most commons sleep complaints for intervention were insomnia (78.8%) and COMISA (47.9%), followed by hypersomnia/excessive daytime sleepiness (19.6%) and CPAP/NIV compliance (17.9%). Other presentations for intervention included trauma (9.8%), irregular sleep-wake cycle (8.7%), central disorders of hypersomnolence (8.2%), as well as less frequent presentations of parasomnias, nightmares, delayed sleep phase disorder and substance misuse. Patients had an average of 1.54 sleep complaints for targeted intervention. On completion of intervention patients were seen for an average of 4.2 appointments representing 593 revenue generating occasions of service from 0.8 FTE of sleep psychology resource. On commencement of a direct to psychology referral pathway for a primary insomnia presentation from July 2023, 14% of referrals to psychology bypassed lengthy physician waitlists to access treatment. Discussion Sleep Psychology adds treatment diversity and flexibility to the multidisciplinary management of sleep disorders, improving system efficiencies and patient outcomes.