Dr. Michael Morgenstern presented at the American College of Chest Physicians national conference on October 27th in Austin, Texas. Dr. Morgenstern’s presentation titled: “SNORE: A Branching Logic, Computerized Sleep Disorder Screening Tool” was met with enthusiasm by some of the nations foremost Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine physicians at the annual Chest conference .
As a leader in designing, programming and creating cutting-edge technology, Dr. Morgenstern developed the SNORE–the Sleep Disorders & Narcolepsy Online Risk Evaluation to identify individuals risk for common sleep disorders.
Research shows that sleep disorders are both common and unrecognized in primary care settings. A large study of over 2,000 patients in primary care offices showed that at least 90% had at least one sleep complaint but only 2% of them were referred for evaluation. Study after study documents this great public health burden that leads to worsening health and quality of life. The economic impact for Sleep Apnea alone is estimated to cost between $65 – $165 Billion, greater than asthma, heart failure, stroke and high blood pressure. Dr. Morgenstern created SNORE to help improve the recognition of sleep disorders in primary care setting.
Dr. Morgenstern, a sleep medicine expert, led a team of researchers at North Shore LIJ Sleep Disorders Center and the primary care clinic at Long Island Jewish Hospital in New Hyde Park New York, comparing the risk assessment of SNORE to that of Sleep Medicine Physician.
SNORE showed very promising results at identifying common sleep disorders including Sleep Apnea, Insomnia, Restless Legs Syndrome and Sleep Deprivation. At times it outperformed the sleep medicine physicians at identifying risk. The preliminary results were published in an article by the American College of Chest Physicians and further publications are expected.