Health services

Sleep health services delivery and care in Australia have emerged as crucial components of the country's healthcare landscape. With growing recognition of the significance of sleep in overall well-being and the high prevalence of sleep disorders in the community, the field of sleep medicine has seen advancements in diagnostics, treatments, and access to care.

As a nation that values comprehensive healthcare, we aim to provide a robust network of sleep clinics, specialised sleep centres, and multidisciplinary sleep teams to provide accurate, timely diagnosis and treatment that addresses the diverse needs of individuals experiencing sleep-related difficulties.

Our research

Our research focusses on the development and validation of innovative models of care for sleep disorders designed for implementation into a variety of healthcare settings, ranging from primary to specialist care, to improve patient access to sleep health service delivery.

Our primary objective is to deploy simplified, cost-effective technologies and novel care pathways into clinical care that will aid in the diagnosis and management of sleep disorders, reduce wait times and expedite treatment.

Innovative tools employed in our research for diagnostic testing and long term monitoring include sleep disorders screening tools, limited-channel home sleep study testing, and novel sensor mat and wearable devices.

Housed at FHMRI Sleep Health, the National Centre for Sleep Health Services Research (NCSHSR) Primary Care was established in 2018 as a multidisciplinary research team of experts in sleep, respiratory medicine, psychology, general practice, nursing, pharmacy, epidemiology, health services, translation and policy research, health economics and sleep health technology. The aim of the NCSHSR is to place primary care at the centre of sleep service delivery, with the focus on the two most common sleep disorders - obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and insomnia.

We collaborate with professional organisations such as the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners , Australasian Sleep Association, Sleep Health Foundation, South Australian Local Health Network, South Australian Ambulance Service, and South Australian Police to develop education materials, programs and clinical guidelines for OSA and insomnia that are aimed at improving the knowledge of primary healthcare professionals in sleep disorders diagnosis and treatment.

Researchers in the Health Services Theme have a special interest in the development of care pathways to improve sleep service access for priority populations, including First Nations Australians, residents in rural-remote areas, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse populations. We have expertise and research programs to support individualised sleep disorder management across many groups, including shift workers (particularly emergency services and healthcare personnel) and individuals living with chronic and/or complex health conditions.

Our work is supported by the FHMRI Sleep Health Consumer Advisory Group with codesign of research and health service models of care. To learn more about our Consumer Advisory and the work we do, see our Annual Review.

Our research aligns with our Sleep Health Treatment Clinic.

We welcome new inquiries from health service researchers, GPs and other primary healthcare professionals, patients, and occupational settings about ways that we can collaborate to develop new approaches to the delivery of sleep health care and the management of sleep disorders. Learn more

Current research projects

MOSIP trial: Management of Obstructive Sleep apnea and Insomnia in Primary care.
SMART-OSA Study: A Sensor Mat for the Assessment & Remote monitoring of Treatment response in Obstructive Sleep Apnoea within primary care.
INHEART Study: Improving Nocturnal Hypertension through Evaluation of sleep Apnea Risk and Treatment.
A community co-designed, primary care-led pathway for the diagnosis and management of obstructive sleep apnea in Indigenous Australian communities: a feasibility & acceptance trial.
Three large trials (Streams 1-3) funded by the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Targeted OSA Grants to optimise screening, diagnosis and management of OSA.
Delivering a new GP insomnia training course accredited by the General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaboration (GPMHSC) as a Focussed Psychological Strategies Skills Training (FPS ST) activity.
ReCONNECT Rural SA for Sleep-Related Mental Health Project to develop a sleep health treatment programme for rural communities.
Trialling implementation of a new model of care for men with depression and co-occurring insomnia delivered through primary care.
Sleep Spotlight project trialling use of an online decision support tool to increase awareness of sleep disorders in the community.
SleepCheck study to improve sleep health in new shift workers.

Resources

Further information about sleep conditions and educational resources for clinicians and patients can be found through the following organisations:

Australian Sleep Association website

Australian Guidelines for insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)

Sleep Health Foundation website

General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaboration

Australian Psychological Society website

Featured publications

Fatima D, Sweetman A, Lovato N, Vakulin A, Bansback N, Povitz M, Stocks N, Fenton M, Chai-Coetzer CL, Pendharkar SR. Access and models of obstructive sleep apnea care: a cross-national comparison of Canadian and Australian patient survey data. J Clin Sleep Med. 2025 Mar 1;21(3):467-477. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.11414. PMID: 39436398; PMCID: PMC11874085.
Haycock, J., Lack, L., Hoon, E., Sweetman, A., Appleton, S., Loffler, K., Scott, H. & Lovato, N. (2025). Treatment preferences and help seeking experiences of Australian adults with insomnia. Australian Psychologist, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/00050067.2025.2534388
Sweetman, A., McEvoy, R., Frommer, M., Adams, R., Chai-Coetzer, C., Newell, S., Moxham-Hall, V., & Redman, S. (2025). Promoting sustained access to cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in Australia: A system-level implementation program. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 21(2), 325–335. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.11374
Brown B, Adams R, Wanstall S, Crowther ME, Rawson G, Vakulin A, Rayner T, McEvoy RD, Eastwood P, Reynolds AC. Introducing an early screening and management strategy for sleep disorders in workers with future shift work requirements: A non-randomised trial to assess feasibility and acceptability. Scientific Reports 2024;14:19964
Haycock, J., Hoon, E., Sweetman, A., Lack, L., & Lovato, N. (2022) The management of insomnia by Australian psychologists: a qualitative study, Australian Psychologist, 57(5), 290–300. https://doi.org/10.1080/00050067.2022.2089544
Natsky, A., Vakulin, A., Chai-Coetzer, C., McEvoy, R., Adams, R. & Kaambwa, B. (2022). Preferred Attributes of Care Pathways for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea from the Perspective of Diagnosed Patients and High-Risk Individuals: A Discrete Choice Experiment. Appl Health Econ Health Policy 20, 597–607. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40258-022-00716-1
Natsky, A., Chai-Coetzer, C., Vakulin, A., McEvoy, R., Adams, R. & Kaambwa, B. (2022). Economic evaluation of diagnostic sleep studies for obstructive sleep apnoea in the adult population: a systematic review. Sleep Med Rev. Apr;62:101608. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2022.101608.
Grivell, N., Haycock, J., Redman, A., Vakulin, A., Zwar, N., Stocks, N., Frank, O., Reed, R., Chai-Coetzer, C., Grunstein, R., McEvoy, R. & Hoon, E. (2021). Assessment, referral and management of obstructive sleep apnea by Australian general practitioners: a qualitative analysis. BMC Health Serv Res 21, 1248. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-07274-7
Haycock, J., Grivell, N., Redman, A., Saini, B., Vakulin, A., Lack, L., Lovato, N., Sweetman, A., Zwar, N., Stocks, N., Frank, O., Mukherjee, S., Adams, R., McEvoy, R. & Hoon, E. (2021). Primary care management of chronic insomnia: a qualitative analysis of the attitudes and experiences of Australian general practitioners. BMC Family Practice, 22(1), 158. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-021-01510-z
Chai-Coetzer CL, Antic NA, Rowland LS, Reed RL, Esterman A, Catcheside PG, Eckermann S, Vowles N, Williams H, Dunn S, McEvoy RD. Primary care vs specialist sleep center management of obstructive sleep apnea and daytime sleepiness and quality of life: a randomized trial. JAMA. 2013 Mar 13;309(10):997-1004. doi: 10.1001/jama.2013.1823. PMID: 23483174.

Our group members

Our research team consists of experts in clinical trials, implementation science, research translation, consumer codesign and stakeholder engagement, and we work closely with the Health Economics team in the College of Medicine and Public Health.

Associate Professor Ching Li Chai-Coetzer
Senior Theme Lead

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Dr Jenny Haycock
Deputy theme Co-lead

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Prof Robert Adams

A/Prof Nicole Lovato

A/Prof Andrew Vakulin

Dr Sarah Appleton

Nicole Grivell

A/Professor Sutapa Mukherjee

Darah-Bree Bensen-Boakes

Maddy Roch

Adrienne Mackenzie

Emelie Ross

Casey Franchi

Work with us

We welcome new inquiries from health service researchers, GPs and other primary healthcare professionals, patients, and occupational settings about ways that we can collaborate to develop new approaches to the delivery of sleep health care and the management of sleep disorders. Learn more

aish.sleeplab@flinders.edu.au