My first sleep study was at a local hospital's sleep clinic which provided private bathroom with shower. My second was at a private sleep lab and did not have a private shower. I refused to return to that lab for titration. I just learned of a sleep lab that does not provide a private bathroom.


_________________
Some people are like Slinkies... Not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.
Resmed VPAP Auto. Humidaire 3i, Simplicity & Micro masks, ResScan 3.4, S8 ResLink, Embla oximeter.

This is completely crazy.

What if you were to stay in your friends house and the bathroom was "down the hall"? Would you simply refuse to sleep there?

Im confused as to why this is a big deal...

1] I'm not PAYING to sleep at a friend's house.
2] There are people w/bladder problems, there are people w/digestive problems such as Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn's disease, Celiac disease
3] This is a place of business expecting people to spend some 8-12 hours there and PAY for the "privilege" of doing so!
4] I have the option of staying at a motel instead of my friend's house


_________________
Some people are like Slinkies... Not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.
Resmed VPAP Auto. Humidaire 3i, Simplicity & Micro masks, ResScan 3.4, S8 ResLink, Embla oximeter.

CrohnieToo wrote:

1] I'm not PAYING to sleep at a friend's house.
2] There are people w/bladder problems, there are people w/digestive problems such as Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn's disease, Celiac disease
3] This is a place of business expecting people to spend some 8-12 hours there and PAY for the "privilege" of doing so!
4] I have the option of staying at a motel instead of my friend's house

Understood. I do not agree with it, but to each his own.

I also understand that that it is a business, but the lab DOES have a few restrooms, which are always available for use. Plus, the patients are paying for the data, not necessarily the restroom. It is nice to have conveniences, but you are paying for data and life-bettering therapy not mini refrigerators, flat screen tvs, and showers.

But we'll just agree to disagree.

Like I said in the PM, we will have private restrooms soon, but certainly no shower. That would be ridiculous, IMO. Thats just me.

Ach, RAM! Nobody HAD to know it was the sleep lab you work at!!! The owner of your sleep lab was totally inconsiderate of his "clients" or starting out on a shoe string. I'm glad to hear the new facility will provide private baths. I'm sorry, but if the owner cut corners on basic client "conveniences" as a private toilet and sink for an overnight stay .... what about wages to staff and equipment?  

I didn't ask for a mini refrigerator and I could care less if I have ANY TV. I don't stay at fancy hotels/motels. All I need is a CLEAN room, CLEAN comfortable bed, private bath and shower for any motel/hotel. I only use them as a flop house anyway. If I wanna watch TV I can stay home and do that a lot cheaper.  

Maybe you are right. Maybe I am just a crochety ole broad. Hey! Took me 66 years to get here, I earned it!


_________________
Some people are like Slinkies... Not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.
Resmed VPAP Auto. Humidaire 3i, Simplicity & Micro masks, ResScan 3.4, S8 ResLink, Embla oximeter.

The Standards For Accreditation do not require "private" bathrooms.  The Standard says

Standards For Accreditation wrote:

Clean bathrooms must be available and conveniently located within the center.

Perhaps more important questions to ask would be:

Is this facility a sleep laboratory or a sleep center?
Is this facility accredited by the AASM?
Are the physician(s) Board-Certified in Sleep Medicine?
Is there at least (1) Registered Polysomnographic Technologist?
Does the facility adhere to current Standards of Practice, including the 2008 Scoring Criteria?

Ed

The accreditation doesn't require that a sleep doctor see and consult w/the patients either . It allows some prima-donna doctor to qualify for sleep medicine as a sub-specialty to contract w/the sleep lab, dictate the results, FAX them to the referring doctor who most likely knows diddly-squat about sleep disorders or CPAP, etc. and is available for consultation w/the referring doctor only. So much for accreditation. I'm not impressed.

And if I remember correctly, accreditation also does not require the RPSGT be the one to administer the sleep test during the night.

It does seem to me tho that I did read recently that they are considering an update to the requirements for accreditation.


_________________
Some people are like Slinkies... Not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.
Resmed VPAP Auto. Humidaire 3i, Simplicity & Micro masks, ResScan 3.4, S8 ResLink, Embla oximeter.

Private bathrooms are simply a perk, thats it. Like I said, there are restrooms (with showers) directly outside of their rooms. The design was created to eliminate the patients desire to get up on their own (so im told). If they used wireless equipment, then it wouldnt be an issue. I was not around when they built the center, but I do know that it was intentional. As far as I know, they do NOT cut costs.

I dont see it as being inconsiderate. Heck, I dont think it bothers too many people. You are very picky and demanding, so you are an exception to most rules. No problem. You are who you are. Its not really THAT big of a deal to most people.

Yes, I did reveal that it was our lab, but we arent the only lab. I know that for certain. I am shocked that Morbius showed up in this thread though...  

In the end competition if there is any and patient satisfaction (word does get around among people) will determine the success and amenities sleep centers will have. In my area everyone is getting into it and there are 4 or 5 places you can go. the sleep center I went to six times so far, has cable TV with remote and private bathrooms with tub/shower and plenty of towels and washcloths, regular double sized beds, and some rooms with adjustable beds, (not hospital either regular double type) the rooms were nice sized with dresser/desk, chester drawers, and large night stand. and plenty of lighting. Just like a hotel room! I think they could handle 10 to 12 people a night, but usually only 6 or 8. I think that is what they told me, but I might be wrong! Anyway they only had one room that was used for VPAP titration and it didn't have an adjustable bed in it so they brought in a large comfortable recliner, and put sheets and blankets on it and I done my last sleep study that way. ( I can not lay flat) I either sleep in a adjustable bed in a fowlers position or in a recliner. Anyway there is no reason that these sleep centers can't be nice and comfortable! And that is my ten cents worth,  


_________________
White Beard with a White Beard
Resmed VPAP Adapt SV Enhanced, HumidAire 2i, ResLink with Model 8000 Flex sensor Pulse Oximeter, and ResScan 3.5 software. Respironic EverFlo OPI Oxygen Concentrator 3 lpm
EEP 9.0, min PS 6.0, max PS 16.0

CrohnieToo wrote:

The accreditation doesn't require that a sleep doctor see and consult w/the patients either .

That's also correct, but the reason that is so is that the AASM cannot insist that the patient be seen by the sleep specialist if the referring physician chooses not to do so.  If the patient is not seen directly, however, the Standard requires that the case be reviewed for appropriateness beforehand.

Standrads of Accreditation wrote:

Standard 4. Patient acceptance policies and procedures sufficient to support safe and effective patient evaluation must be in place.
4.a. Written criteria for patient acceptance must be present, including age, a mechanism for acceptance, criteria for exclusion of patients, and information required from a physician prior to polysomnography.
4.b. For “directly referred” patients, the medical director or a designated center staff physician or a designated DABSM must review the information provided for each patient and determine if the proposed evaluation conforms to the AASM Practice Parameters for the Indications for Polysomnography and Related Procedures, or, if not, whether the evaluation is indicated for other reasons.

CrohnieToo wrote:

It allows some prima-donna doctor to qualify for sleep medicine as a sub-specialty to contract w/the sleep lab, dictate the results, FAX them to the referring doctor who most likely knows diddly-squat about sleep disorders or CPAP, etc. and is available for consultation w/the referring doctor only.

If physician quality is a concern (and is a "prima donna" necessarily directly related to quality?), perhaps that would be a better rationale to base sleep lab selection upon rather than where the bathroom is.

CrohnieToo wrote:

So much for accreditation. I'm not impressed.

On second thought, you have convinced me of the importance of this issue.  As soon as your poll disappears from sight (I don't want to interfere with this critical work), I will post an additional poll, including:

Should the bowl be regular or elongated?
Should the seat be solid or padded (for me, if I'm sitting on a padded seat, I'm thinking I'm sitting on furniture and can't go.)
Should the toilet paper roll forward over the top or come out from the bottom?  (I always fix it when it's the wrong way.)

RAM_Sleep wrote:

I am shocked that Morbius showed up in this thread though...

Hey, you have to be somewhere.

Ed

May you never be blessed w/a digestive disorder such as Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn's or Celiac disease. May you never be blessed w/a colostomy. May you never be blessed w/overactive bladder problems. You won't joke about the comfort of the toilet seat if you are not so blessed. You will just be grateful to have a private bath handy.


_________________
Some people are like Slinkies... Not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.
Resmed VPAP Auto. Humidaire 3i, Simplicity & Micro masks, ResScan 3.4, S8 ResLink, Embla oximeter.

CrohnieToo wrote:

May you never be blessed w/a digestive disorder such as Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn's or Celiac disease. May you never be blessed w/a colostomy. May you never be blessed w/overactive bladder problems....

Now if I could just avoid all those people droning on about their elimination problems I'd be all set.

Ed

When I had my sleep study, I had no idea there existed sleep labs without private bathrooms, I assumed they all had private bathrooms like mine had.  I didn't know what a sleep study was like, so I didn't know anything else.  I suppose if I'd had to share a bathroom, I would have done it.

But I'm pretty sure I would not have liked it.  When I saw how wired up I was, I felt like a fool as I waddled to the bathroom, twice in one night.  I would have felt humiliated if I'd been seen waddling down some hall.  Yikes.  Sure, the sleep techs saw me that way.  Doesn't matter, I felt humiliated, but being seen walking down the hall by others, techs or strangers, would have been even more embarrassing.  

Look, I've known patients who went through the first study who fought like heck against coming back for the titration, they looked for every excuse.  Why not make it as comfortable as possible for patients?  

I say that for folks visiting this forum who are to be scheduled for their first sleep study, that they ask about accomodations.  In many places there are choices of sleep study centers.  So the more you know what to expect, the better.

(my 3 cents, adjusted for inflation)  


Linda

When I mention sharing bathrooms, it isnt as if there are people sitting on the seat and others peeing through their legs. Its a public restroom that only has room for one patient at a time.

Again, to those with restroom "issues", how do you function at WalMart or better yet sport stadiums/concert venues? If you attend a game/show, then you most likely be there for hours. You ARE paying to be there, so you should probably have your own bathroom, right?

I agree with the competitive nature of the private restroom. I'll be honest, most patients never see the facility before they show up. Why? Because they are sleeping terribly and want relief. The restroom SEEMS to be the last thing on their mind.

If you are someone who refuses the facility, then so be it. Its a personal opinion. I don't want to say that you are in the minority because the official poll suggests that its pretty even, albeit the numbers are low. A better poll question would have been:

Would you attend a sleep facility that does not offer in-room restrooms?

Yes / No

You are loading the question by offering your choices.

ok....my turn....
I personally don't think the bathroom is a big deal, BUT if I had physical urgency issues w/bladder or intestines, and/or mobility difficulty that slows getting to the facility in time,  I'm sure I would have a different view.  In that case, I think it would be the patient's responsability to advise/ask about accommodations before hand.  ...it may be worth it to shop around for a lab that has private (CLOSE as possible) facilities.  

 I think a medical facility should be prepared to make accommodations for medical issues (similar to ADA requirements for disabilitiy).  The lab should definitely be willing to make an accommodation of some type, but it would be up to the patient whether the particular accommodation was acceptable to them.

If the issue is having leaks down my legs, and then trying to get back to sleep, I would want either a bathroom in the bedroom, or a bedside commode (either w/draw curtain or out of range of the video or at least agreement to turning off the video).  


In the incidence of my son, I have to ask them to turn off the video, because he is non-ambulatory AND incontinent....(or they could have a draw sheet installed --like in shared hospital rooms).  I expect the accommodation, but either way is fine.


[for the record, I think RAM & Morbius' comments are ignorant, insensitive and inappropriate]