Wound Care Practitioners Should Screen Patients for Sleep Apnea—Here’s How!
Summary: In a reflective blog post on her site, **Caroline Fife, M.D.**, highlights the under-recognized role of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in delayed wound healing. She shares personal insight and clinical observations suggesting that leg edema, forgetfulness, and poor healing may be rooted in undiagnosed OSA—and urges wound care clinicians to proactively screen using the simple General Practice Sleep Scale (GPSS).
Key Highlights:
- Sleep apnea may contribute to systemic issues (edema, poor wound repair, cognitive decline) that impede healing.
- Patients frequently dismiss OSA symptoms as “normal aging”—practitioners can bridge that gap with targeted screening.
- The GPSS offers a quick and effective tool to triage OSA risk, improving detection during routine visits.
- Clinicians treating non-healing wounds should consider whether addressing systemic sleep disorders could transform outcomes.
Read the full blog post on CarolineFifeMD.com
Keywords:
sleep apnea,
wound healing,
leg edema,
GPSS (General Practice Sleep Scale),
screening tools,
Caroline Fife