A medical consultant is interested in hearing from any road freight companies that areinterested in helping with research into obstructive sleep apnoea.
Dr Stephen Bianchi, consultant in sleep disordered breathing at Sheffield Thoracic Institute, would like to talk to firms prepared to screen drivers. Although such research can sometimes attract funding,
participating firms would need to be prepared to cover the cost of overnight testing, which is approximately £100 per driver.
Dr Bianchi says that it is essential that proper protocols are established for screening drivers in order to address the road safety concerns and minimise the costs to industry and individual drivers. "We need lots of research in partnership with industry to set up an infrastructure thatcan screen and diagnose sufferers and then get them into treatment and back on the road as fast as possible."
Under NHS rules, it can take up to 18 weeks for a driver to pass from referral to treatment, during which time he cannot drive and Dr Bianchi says most private medical insurers will not cover sleep disorders. This leaves many drivers fearing that screening could interrupt their livelihood
for months.
OSA sufferers are not only seven times more likely to have a collision, but can also suffer debilitating health consequences. For more information contact: Stephen Bianchi.
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