The Power of Sleep on Patient Quality of Life

How one sleep technologist turned clinical supervisor is impacting the quality of life of the entire southwest portion of Mississippi with one trick: better sleep

In Brookhaven, Mississippi, just east of Interstate 55, you’ll find the small 4-bed sleep center at King’s Daughters Medical Center (KDMC). Like sleep centers around the country, the team evaluates people for potential sleep disorders, tests for sleep apnea at home and in the lab, and generates treatment plans based on patient diagnoses. Leading the show at KDMC Sleep Center is Geoff Eade, RPSGT, CCSH, the Sleep Center’s Program Clinical Supervisor. His passion is to continue providing the community with the care they need to improve their quality of life by first improving their sleep habits.

The Impact of Sleep on Quality of Life

The profound impact that sleep has on your overall health cannot be understated. Recent research on the impact of obstructive sleep apnea therapy on the overall healthcare costs revealed that the average per-member-per-month (PMPM) total medical spend for beneficiaries with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was 209% higher than average PMPM of Medicare beneficiaries. Let that sink in. If you’re on Medicare, and you have OSA, on average, your total health care costs will be more than double the average. Why? Comorbidities, like obesity, hypertension, type-II diabetes, and COPD, exacerbate costs and decrease the patient’s quality of life. Solving them all can be challenging, but addressing sleep apnea is one of the best ways to make an immense impact. That’s exactly what Eade said when asked why he works in sleep medicine.

“Sleep disorders affect the whole body and mind. If you have trouble sleeping and have other medical conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, or even anxiety and depression, we can help you find rest,” said Geoff Eade, RPSGT, CCSH.

And when Eade and the KDMC team provide a patient with a better night of sleep, their quality of life improves, as well. Let’s dive further into Eade’s effort to improve patient wellbeing.  

Everything Comes Back to Improving Quality of Life

As the Sleep Center supervisor, Eade’s responsibilities are varied. Primarily, he is responsible for clinical operations involving the sleep clinic staff, patient and provider interactions, and night staff operations. He also regularly performs day studies and HSAT set-ups. Beyond the clinical operations, Eade is responsible for a variety of additional responsibilities including, communication to administrative staff on growth forecasts and team productivity as well as developing and iterating on patient compliance programs. But at the end of the day, all of that work comes back to one thing – it’s about improving our patient’s quality of life: “I love watching people realize the benefits of a good night’s rest,” noted Eade. “It is fascinating to see patients that enter the sleep center feeling unwell or mentally drained initially, and then to see them at their follow-up visit as an entirely different person full of energy.”

Eade added, “EnsoSleep has allowed us to get both in-lab and HSAT study results back quicker – allowing us to develop a plan of care for our patients and return them to a better quality of life by restoring their sleep patterns.”

Supporting Rural Residents with Expeditious, Innovative Care

Rural communities typically have fewer healthcare resources and staff than their urban counterparts. Regional sleep centers like KDMC play a significant role. In their community’s health. Yet, the team supports the majority of southwest Mississippi, and parts of Louisiana. Why? KDMC’s innovative process and commitment to turnaround times is so important. It leads to improved care and quality of life for their patients.

Per Eade, “Our turnaround time from receiving a referral to providing the patient with results of their first study is under two weeks on average. Our team is amazing – our hospital administration has been so supportive. Utilizing technology like EnsoSleep allows us to be more efficient and profitable.” 

Adding EnsoSleep allowed Eade to gain back a lot of his time to focus on other clinical areas instead of scoring studies. At the end of the day, it simply allows us to spend more time with the patient and educating them about how sleep can affect them and their loved ones.

Generating Broader Awareness around Sleep’s Impact on Quality of Life

Across the country, rural communities face the same challenges as KDMC – resources, staff and time. The question is, how can we increase awareness around OSA, which according to Eade, is the most important factor in the sleep industry. “Educating our communities and patients about the different types of sleep disorders and how they affect a person’s life is crucial. When people become aware of the benefits of healthy sleep, that’s when we begin to help them improve their quality of life,” he said, before explaining the sad reason he got into sleep medicine. His father, who had OSA but no comorbidities or other related health problems, passed away at just 54 during a nap on the couch. While he slept with a CPAP machine, he drifted off one day without wearing his mask, and never woke up.

“That drives my passion. I want to make sure people aren’t put in the same situation I was,” said Eade with a heavy heart.

Across all of sleep medicine, that’s the common goal: to give people more time with loved ones and improve their quality of life by first improving their sleep. Geoff, thanks for sharing your story with our team, we’re excited to see you continue to grow the KDMC program and support the people of southern Mississippi and beyond.