ATRI Starts Sleep Apnea Online Survey
As the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration continues to accept comments before issuing a rule on sleep apnea in June, the American Transportation Research Institute started a one-month online survey on April 14 that seeks input from commercial truck drivers on a number of issues related to sleep apnea.
The survey, which was pre-tested with truck drivers, also solicits information on sleep apnea assessments and treatments that drivers may have received, as well as the perceived effectiveness of those treatments. ATRI encourages all commercial drivers to participate even if they don’t have personal experience with sleep apnea diagnoses.
According to ATRI, the survey’s results will be synthesized with other sleep apnea and driver fatigue research analyses, and then analyzed by several leading experts on sleep apnea.
"This is the first large-scale data collection effort that seeks to find out what professional drivers know about sleep apnea and for those who have been through a sleep test, to better understand what the impacts, especially costs, of testing and treatment are on drivers,” said Bob Stanton, a professional driver who was diagnosed with sleep apnea in 2002 and serves as Co-Coordinator of Truckers for a Cause, a patient support groups for drivers with the condition.
Over 100 drivers took the survey during its initial distribution at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky from March 31-April 2.
