Referring a Patient

Who should I refer?

Refer patients suspected with:

  • Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA)
  • Sleep Hypoventilation (including obesity hypoventilation syndrome, hypoventilation related to neuromuscular disorders such as motor neurone disease or chest wall abnormality, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)/OSA overlap)
  • Central Sleep Apnoea (CSA) and Cheyne-Stokes Respiration
  • Restless Legs Syndrome and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder
  • Narcolepsy
  • Insomnia
  • Parasomnias such as confusional arousals, nocturnal epilepsy, sleep walking and REM Behavior Disorder

We accept patients referred for sleep disorders aged 18 and up. It is important to note that despite our link to a Veterans hospital we in fact accept all patients (i.e. including non-Veterans). Privately insured patients will be fast tracked through our Ashford clinical sleep service and laboratory.

How should I refer?

All patients must be referred by a medical practitioner. General Practitioners please use the downloadable GP Referral Form. Medical specialists can use the Sleep Study Request Form. Please use these forms to refer a patient to the AISH main site at the Repatriation General Hospital, Daw Park.

Click on the following links if you would like to refer a patient to our Ashford and Darwin services.

Referrals may be made by mail, fax or phone.

Click here for more information on how to complete an Online Referral

Mail:
Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health
Repatriation General Hospital
Daws Rd, Daw Park
South Australia 5041

F: (08) 8277 6890
T: (08) 8275 1187

Referrals to our Ashford service and Darwin service can be made to the same fax as above. Please phone (08) 8275 1187 for queries about our Ashford service or (08) 8275 1968 for queries about our Darwin service.

Useful forms for download:

>ESS (Epworth Sleepiness Scale)
>Sleep Diary

Who will see my patient?

AISH has an experienced multidisciplinary team to deal with a wide range of sleep disorders. Unless specifically requested all referral letters will be reviewed by clinicians before your patients are allocated to the most appropriate specialty in our service. 

At our weekly clinical Case Conference and other regular meetings there are opportunities for our specialists to cross consult and seek opinions from other specialists as needed. The specialties within our service consist of:

  • Sleep Medicine Physicians
  • Insomnia Treatment Program
  • Psychiatrists

Our service is supported by:

  • Sleep Technical Staff
  • CPAP/NIV Clinical Nurses
  • Administration Team

Recognising the multi-specialty needs in a Sleep Medicine Service, AISH staff regularly meet with:

  • ENT surgeons
  • Dental surgeons
  • Oro-maxillo-facial surgeons
  • CPAP suppliers

The Sleep Technologist's Role in Diagnostic Sleep Studies and CPAP Titration

During your patient's stay in the sleep laboratory, recordings will be continuously supervised by our sleep technologists. AISH employs highly qualified sleep technologists that are trained in Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation and Basic Life Support.

Our technologists have degrees in science and/or psychology as a minimum qualification, and many staff have post-graduate qualifications. AISH supports continuing education, and all eligible technologists are certified by the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists. The BRPT is an internationally recognised qualification that aims to maintain the highest professional and ethical standards in the sleep technology field.

The sleep technologist has a multi-purpose role during the patient's diagnostic sleep study and CPAP study. This includes:

  • Making patients feel at ease in an unfamiliar environment.
  • Providing patients with education regarding the sleep study, the role of the technician, and general information on sleep disorders.
  • Monitoring and identification of patients' breathing irregularities (e.g. sleep apnoea).
  • Monitoring of patients' vital life signs, e.g. oxygen levels and heart rate.
  • Ensuring a high technical quality of the recording.

For those patients requiring CPAP titration, additional role includes:

  • Providing a positive introduction to CPAP.
  • Providing CPAP fitting and titration, i.e. using the appropriate mask based on each patient's individual response and needs, and ensuring that an adequate therapeutic CPAP pressure is reached during the study.
  • Responding to patients' concerns such as nasal dryness, poor mask fit, feeling of claustrophobia.
  • Identifying and addressing potential problems, e.g. air leaks due to mouth breathing or poor mask fit.