Abstract
Abstract
Insomnia is a common disorder managed in Australian general practice. The RACGP recommends cognitive and behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBTi) strategies as the first-line treatment. There are multiple simple and effective CBTi options accessible to Australian general practitioners and patients, but these are often underused.
Key Points
- Insomnia is a common, debilitating and costly disorder managed in Australian general practice.
- Sedative-hypnotic medications are associated with potential side effects, adverse events and long-term dependence and are a suboptimal management strategy.
- The RACGP recommends cognitive and behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBTi) strategies as first-line treatment.
- Australian general practitioners can access multiple CBTi strategies, including effective self-administered, online, nurse- or GP-administered CBTi, or pathways for referral to a psychologist trained in treating insomnia.
- An NHMRC research program is underway to explore whether the management of insomnia in general practice can be improved in line with RACGP guidelines. GPs interested in participating in this research are encouraged to contact the authors ([email protected]).
Insomnia is a common disorder managed in Australian general practice. The RACGP recommends cognitive and behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBTi) strategies as the first-line treatment. There are multiple simple and effective CBTi options accessible to Australian general practitioners and patients, but these are often underused.
Key Points
- Insomnia is a common, debilitating and costly disorder managed in Australian general practice.
- Sedative-hypnotic medications are associated with potential side effects, adverse events and long-term dependence and are a suboptimal management strategy.
- The RACGP recommends cognitive and behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBTi) strategies as first-line treatment.
- Australian general practitioners can access multiple CBTi strategies, including effective self-administered, online, nurse- or GP-administered CBTi, or pathways for referral to a psychologist trained in treating insomnia.
- An NHMRC research program is underway to explore whether the management of insomnia in general practice can be improved in line with RACGP guidelines. GPs interested in participating in this research are encouraged to contact the authors ([email protected]).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 14-20 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Medicine Today |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 2020 |
| Externally published | Yes |