Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology  2016;23(2):77-83

doi:10.14401/KASMED.2016.23.2.77

Survey of Insomnia Treatment Status for Doctors.

Yeonsun CHOI 1 ; Mi Hyun LEE ; Jae Won CHOI ; Soohyun KIM ; Jichul KIM ; Yu Jin LEE

Affiliations

+expand

Keywords

Insomnia; Non-pharmacological treatment; Sleep hygiene; Surveys and questionnaires

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

Korean

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The present study investigated current practices of insomnia treatment among Korean doctors in clinical settings. METHODS: A total of 100 doctors participated in the present study and filled out a series of survey questions regarding their treatment of insomnia patients. RESULTS: The results revealed that the primary type of insomnia treatment was pharmacological and that the most popular medication was zolpidem. The majority of doctors reported that they also utilized non-pharmacological treatments such as sleep hygiene education and cognitive-behavioral therapy. However, these treatments tended to result in low satisfaction. In addition, the doctors perceived that patients largely preferred pharmacological treatments to non-pharmacological ones and did not have sufficient knowledge of non-pharmacological treatments. CONCLUSION: Many doctors believed that non-pharmacological treatments for insomnia were important, but reported that they were difficult to implement in practice. The results of this study suggest that improved medical conditions for non-pharmacological treatments and education of physicians are necessary to appropriately treat insomnia.