Curriculum development for the Saudi sleep medicine fellowship program

Abstract

Objectives: Given the rapid global development of sleep medicine, well-qualified sleep medicine physicians are necessary to meet the demand. Although sleep medicine was accredited as an independent specialty in KSA in 2012, national data suggest that the number of trained and accredited sleep medicine specialists remains comparatively low. A structured sleep medicine fellowship programme was established in KSA in 2009. However, universities issued training and certification without a national training programme under the auspices of the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS). Therefore, plans have been made to establish a national interdisciplinary sleep medicine training programme to serve the whole country. Methods: In 2020, the SCFHS mandated the Specialty Curriculum Development Committee of the Sleep Medicine Fellowship Program to develop the National an adult sleep medicine national program. Results: The committee developed an adult sleep medicine fellowship programme curriculum and requirements to ensure that trainees become competent at assessing, diagnosing, and managing various sleep disorders. The curriculum was approved by the head of the Curricula Editorial Board of the SCFHS. Conclusions: This paper presents the curriculum and admission requirements for the newly developed Saudi Sleep Medicine Fellowship Program.