Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Sleep for Health Approaches from Integrative Medicine and Psycho-Oncology 2018

Saturday, May 5, 2018, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM EST, Rockefeller Research Laboratories 430 E 67th St, New York, NY

Sleep disturbances (including insomnia) and cancer-related fatigue are the most common side effects of cancer treatments, affecting millions of people every year. Many prescription drug interventions offer limited short-term benefits and can lead to the development of other distressing symptoms. Non-pharmacological strategies and integrative therapies that have minimal side effects, such as Cognitive-behavioral Therapy for Insomnia, light exposure, Tai Chi, yoga, meditation, and acupuncture, can be more effective for long-term treatment.

This interdisciplinary course will empower healthcare providers to assess sleep disturbances among their patients and recognize the impact insomnia can have on their health outcomes. Participants will gain a better understanding of integrative therapies and psycho-oncology approaches, and how to implement a patient-centered decision making framework to reduce sleep disorders among cancer patients and survivors, that is inclusive of safe, evidence-based non-pharmacological treatments.

This course is co-sponsored by the MSK Psycho-Oncology Education and Training Institute (POETI).

Target audience

The target audience includes health care providers who diagnose, manage, and treat quality-of-life issues and side effects of cancer treatment.

1. Describe the presentation, diagnosis, and evolution of sleep disturbances and insomnia among cancer patients.
2. Identify patients at high risk for development of sleep disturbances throughout the continuum of cancer therapy.
3. Determine a patient-centered framework for the treatment of sleep disturbances and insomnia.
4. Present non-pharmacologic strategies to improve sleep quality and insomnia comorbidities.