Chairs: Beth Malow, MD, MS; Roberta Leu, MD

Description
Conversations between providers and families, focused on clinical decision making, can be challenging in pediatric sleep medicine. Medical information is often complex, and many families seek to supplement their education through friends and the internet.

This 75-minute session will highlight clinical scenarios that often prompt complex discussions between clinicians and families using the examples of obstructive sleep apnea and melatonin supplements to promote sleep. We will describe the types of challenges often encountered, along with the evidence base. An interactive component will focus on ways to build trust in conversations with families, starting with guidance on listening and speaking skills followed by participants breaking into pairs to practice.

Learning Objectives

• Identify the major efficacy and safety concerns about melatonin supplements and how to talk about them with parents
• Highlight the options available for treating obstructive sleep apnea in children and how to discuss these options with parents

Schedule

11:55am – 12:00pm
The landscape of difficult conversations in pediatric sleep medicine
Beth Malow, MD, MS

12:00pm – 12:15pm
Melatonin supplements: Communicating about efficacy and safety to concerned parents
Beth Malow, MD, MS

12:15pm – 12:35pm
Obstructive sleep apnea: Helping families make treatment decisions
Roberta Leu, MD

12:35pm – 1:00pm
Practice
Choosing one of two scenarios (melatonin supplements or obstructive sleep apnea), participants will practice skills for difficult conversations after an introduction to listening and speaking skills

1:00pm – 1:10pm
Feedback/Take Aways
What did you learn? What techniques are you going to try?