Second 12-months of the ASA Commonwealth Grant

By Alex Sweetman
16 August 2024

In July 2023, we provided an overview of the first 12 months of the ASA Commonwealth grant program. It has been another huge 12 months of primary care education, member communication, sleep health promotion and advocacy work. Thank you to everyone that has been involved in all of these activities, which would not be possible without a passionate, engaged and supportive sleep community, and terrific group of ASA staff working behind the scenes to make all of this happen.

General Practitioner education

  • A RACGP Australian Journal of General Practice Sleep special issue. Thank you to all authors of these 10 articles for your excellent contributions! 
  • A webinar on primary care insomnia management with the South Australian Postgraduate Medical Education Association (SAPMEA) to 270 registrants.
  • Development of an interactive Preventive Sleep Health module on the RACGP gpLearning system. This module accompanies 3 other gpLearning modules on; insomnia, OSA, and paediatric sleep health. 
  • A series of Primary Care sleep health fact-sheets developed by the ASA GP Education Subcommittee.
  • ASA Stand and Insomnia Skill-building Workshop at WONCA. Spoke to >500 GPs, and >150 attended insomnia Workshop.
  • Article in Guardian exercise rehabilitation newsletter, sent to 7,500 primary care and allied health staff and consumers.
  • Podcast with GPEx on importance of sleep for preventive health.
  • Provided feedback on the RACGP insomnia management HANDI resource.
  • Coordinating a sleep health education campaign with GPEx, including events on;
    • Paediatric sleep health management (Brisbane, 30 registrants)
    • Online primary care sleep health resource (Online, 190 registrants)
    • GP management of insomnia (Melbourne, 30 registrants)
    • Webinar on management of less common sleep disorders (Online, 85 registrants)
    • Webinar on insomnia management (Online, 150 registrants)
    • Obstructive sleep apnoea management (Adelaide, pending)
  • Coordinated 9 HealthEd podcasts with ASA Members. Each podcast is accessed 400-1,200 times by AHPRA-registered clinicians. 
  • Development of an updated ASA Insomnia Position Statement, with a focus on primary care implementation.
  • Participated in Everyday Scope of Health insomnia webinar, accredited by RACGP. 1,700 attendees, and >1,500 live + on-demand attendees.
  • Article in AustRoads Fitness to Drive newsletter on online primary care guideline.
  • Worked with Health Pathways groups in Melbourne and Brisbane to implement Primary Care Sleep Health resources into pathways, and advocate for Australia-wide adoption of updated insomnia and OSA pathways.

Psychologist education

  • Launched interactive CBTi education module with the Australian Psychological Society. This 6-hour program and accompanying CBTi resources aim to increase the number of psychologists in Australia that are able to deliver CBTi. 353 clinicians have accessed the program, and 47 have provided details for an online Australian CBTi provider registry (coming in the next 1-2 months!).
  • Two online webinars to South East Sydney Local Health District on insomnia management. 160 psychologist attendees.
  • Contributed to an article with the Australian Psychological Society on the need for increased access to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for insomnia in Australia.
  • Organised a 2-part webinar with the Australian Psychological Society on the assessment and management of insomnia. 330 registrants.
  • Organised ASA Exhibition Stand at APS College of Clinical Psychologists, March 2023.
  • Organised Online insomnia management workshop with Affordable Professional Development Training.
  • Coordinated two waves of an online Sleep Psychology Workshops with Dr Hailey Meaklim, Melbourne University, and many sleep expert presenters. Over 800 registrants and 260-320 attendees at each of the 4 sessions.

Nurse education

  • Organised scholarships for 6 APNA nurse members to attend Sleep DownUnder 2023 (Adelaide). Supported nurses during the conference to attend sessions, meet sleep researchers and clinicians, access new and emerging resources and become sleep health champions in primary care settings.
  • Organised ASA Exhibition Stand at APNA conference (Essential Health Summit), attended by over 950 delegates 
  • Coordinated insomnia skill-building session at Essential Health Summit. 
  • ASA GP Education Subcommittee development and review of on-the-spot resource on preparation for night shift for nurses.

Advocacy Work

  • Organised The Hon. Mark Butler, to attend and present the opening address at Sleep DownUnder 2023. 
  • Organised a Sleep DownUnder 2023 preventive sleep health policy session, including presentations for sleep experts, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Mitchell Institute, and Department of Health and Aged Care. 
  • Contributed to a Mitchell Institute Sleep Health Policy Evidence Brief. 
  • A joint ASA/SHF proposal to the Department of Health and Aged Care fund a digital cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia implementation program in Australian primary care. 
  • A Joint ASA/SHF pre-budget submission, in support of the first recommendation of the Mitchell Institute sleep health policy evidence brief. 
  • Provided topic and author suggestions for a series of Sleep Health articles in The Conversation. 
  • Coordinated a media campaign to promote ASA Member research and implementation stories. 11 stories on sleep health and sleep disorders were presented to an estimated audience of 22.2 million people.

Primary Care Research Activities

  • The Australasian Sleep Association led a successful application with the Sleep Health Foundation, University of Sydney, and Pharmaceutical Society of Australia to undertake a Pharmacist insomnia and sleep health education and implementation program. We welcomed pharmacist and sleep enthusiast, Stacey Putland to the ASA team to lead this $1M, 2-year Quality Use of Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Pathology program! 
  • The ASA are partners on a successful $1.3M Primary Care MRFF project to implement digital cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia in rural and remote Australian general practice, led by Prof Nick Zwar (Bond University) and Dr Alex Sweetman (Flinders University). 
  • ASA Primary Care Implementation Network has been used to support GP participation in two ASA Member research projects (Digital sleep health decision support tool, and Benzodiazepine reduction resources).

Thank you again to everyone that has supported these activities!
As we enter the final 12-months of the program, I look forward to working with all members to support the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based sleep health resources in primary care. If you are interested in becoming involved in the Commonwealth grant activities, please contact me ([email protected]).