Publications by authors named "Erin Der-Mcleod"
J Am Geriatr Soc
October 2024
Article Synopsis
- Nocturia (waking up at night to urinate) and chronic insomnia often affect older adults together, leading to more severe sleep disturbances, yet treatments usually focus on one issue at a time.
- A study involved older adults with both conditions to test a new treatment approach combining cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia and nocturia, as well as a control health education program.
- Results showed that participants in the combined treatment group experienced a greater reduction in the number of nightly nocturia episodes compared to those in the control group over four months, suggesting the method's feasibility for future research.
JAMA Intern Med
December 2024
Article Synopsis
- Placebo effects are often seen in clinical trials for benzodiazepine receptor agonists, leading to recommendations for discontinuation of these medications in older adults and the use of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) instead.
- This study aims to compare the effects of a masked tapering process combined with enhanced CBTI against standard CBTI with an unmasked taper in helping older adults discontinue benzodiazepine receptor agonists.
- The primary outcome measured is the percentage of participants successfully discontinuing their medication after 6 months, with additional assessments of insomnia severity and short-term discontinuation rates.
JMIR Res Protoc
September 2024
Article Synopsis
- Positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy is the standard treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but many patients struggle to consistently use it; understanding their blood oxygen levels may help improve adherence.
- This study investigates the feasibility and effectiveness of a program (mPAP) that integrates data from consumer wearable devices with PAP usage reports to enhance patient self-management of therapy.
- The trial will involve 50 veterans with OSA who will be split into intervention and control groups to assess how well wearable device feedback influences their PAP usage over a 28-day period.
