MedPark Hospital project focuses on improving doctors’ sleep quality
Sleep deprivation and sleep disorder tests will be provided to Thai doctors and medical staff nationwide as part of MedPark Hospital's effort to improve the country's public health efficiency, the hospital’s CEO and founder, Dr Pongpat Pattanavanich, said on Monday.
The move is part of the “Save Doctors, Save People, Save Thailand” project, the hospital's corporate social responsibility (CSR) project under way for the third year.
Dr. Pongpat said that the objective was to emphasise the importance of proper care for Thai physicians by providing free sleep tests, enabling them to provide effective care to a large number of patients.
He explained that the CSR project focuses on doctors because a single doctor can save the lives of thousands of people. As a result, the health and well-being of medical professionals is critical.
He pointed out that due to heavy responsibilities, ensuring quality sleep can enable physicians to carry out their duties of treating patients far more efficiently.
"This is the rationale behind this year's project, which provides free sleep tests to Thai doctors nationwide. MedPark, as one of the private hospitals, has been volunteering to provide care for doctors so that they can continue to provide effective medical care to countless patients," he said.
Previously, MedPark's CSR project focused on providing vaccinations and heart screening tests.
Dr. Jirayos Chintanadilok of MedPark Hospital, a sleep medicine specialist for nearly 30 years, emphasised the significance of a sleep test.
He noted that it was common for physicians to be sleep deprived.
He pointed out that if sleep disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea or insomnia, are not treated promptly, the conditions could worsen and lead to severe and fatal diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, and so on.
Quality sleep is a gateway to proper diagnosis, which can help prevent serious health problems. Daytime fatigue caused by insufficient or poor-quality sleep can impair the doctor's ability to save people's lives.
Precision and efficiency are required in medical practice, he noted.
"This project has the potential to improve the quality of life of physicians,” he said.
According to various global studies, sleep deprivation is the gateway to proper diagnosis, which can aid in the prevention of serious health problems. Daytime fatigue from insufficient or poor-quality sleep can impair a doctor's ability to save lives. Medical practice necessitates precision and efficiency.
Dr. Jirayos said that he expected this project would be an initiative to raise awareness of the importance of quality sleep and sleep tests in order to leverage overall life quality and wellness in Thai society.
He mentioned shift workers, pilots, and public transport drivers as additional groups that must pass the sleep test.
According to an American study, a lack of sleep increases the risk of a car accident by 2.5 times, and a sleep test to check the driver's readiness can reduce accidents by up to 70%.
The project will be open to doctors aged 30-75 years who have never had a sleep test before. Registration will be open online at www.medparkhospital.com/SleepRegistration from September 24 to December 31, 2023.
