NEWS RELEASE
ROYAL VICTORIA REGIONAL HEALTH CENTRE
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Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) recently welcomed the first patients into its new Sleep Lab Clinic.
As RVH continues to renovate and refresh existing units to improve the patient experience, the Sleep Lab Clinic was relocated from its former location to a purpose-built permanent home on the third floor of the health centre.
“The newly renovated space is dedicated solely to the needs of sleep clinic patients,” says Tracy Houghton, Manager, Ambulatory Cardio Respiratory Services.
“The six rooms promote an environment conducive to a good night’s sleep. They are all private rooms and the clinic no longer shares space with another department. Sharing a space meant there was a lot of distracting and unrelated equipment which is not helpful when you are trying to sleep.”
Sleep studies help doctors diagnose sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, periodic limb movement disorder, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome, insomnia, and nighttime behaviors like sleepwalking and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder.
A sleep study is a non-invasive, overnight exam that allows technologists to see what's happening in the brain. Each year more than 1,850 sleep studies are done in the RVH Sleep Lab Clinic.
“This is the first time in 12 years Sleep Lab Clinic patients will have had a dedicated space which is more home-like,” says Simon Mena, sleep technologist. “This space will allow for a more comfortable sleep which is so important for test outcomes. This move definitely has improved the patient experience.”
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