A 1993 survey1 found that, on average, only 2 h was devoted to undergraduate teaching of sleep medicine and that 7% of medical schools undertook no sleep medicine teaching whatsoever. Since the time of publication of this survey, numerous articles have highlighted the effects of sleep-disordered breathing on human disease as well as child development. Examples include the reporting of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) as an independent risk factor for adult hypertension2 3 as well as the documentation of the adverse effects of OSA on childhood growth4 and cognitive development.5 6 The aim of our study was to establish whether such knowledge breakthroughs had led to increased teaching within the undergraduate curricula.

The 1993 survey of Rosen and colleagues1 was adapted into a semi-structured questionnaire, consisting of nine closed and open-ended questions and distributed via email to the undergraduate deans of all UK medical schools. Email (×2) and postal reminders were sent. The response rate was 57% (17/30), including 2 medical schools that refused to participate. Data were compiled from the 15 completed questionnaires. A median (IQR) of 2.5 (1, 4.3) h were devoted to undergraduate sleep teaching with 2/15 (13%) medical schools offering no sleep teaching whatsoever. Teaching was predominantly delivered in the form of lectures (87%) and tutorials (40%) with only one university utilising web-based teaching methods. Topics covered included pharmacology of sleep (80%), pathophysiology (73%), diagnostic evaluation (66%), daytime somnolence (47%), developmental aspects of sleep (40%), paediatric sleep (40%) and polysomnography (33%). Teaching was delivered primarily by medical staff (87%), with physiologists (33%) and sleep scientists (7%) also undertaking teaching sessions. Barriers to teaching sleep medicine to undergraduates were reported as time constraints (47%) and lack of qualified faculty (13%).

Despite a key role for sleep and sleep disorders in human disease and behaviour,2,–,6 there is a paucity of undergraduate teaching in this subject area in UK medical schools. It is notable that web-based teaching modules appear underutilised in this subject area and may prove useful in overcoming the stated barriers to sleep teaching, namely time constraints and faculty qualifications. Consideration should be given to developing a UK-wide e-learning resource for sleep medicine.