The Pre-Registry Commercial Driver Medical Examination: Screening Sensitivity and Certification Lengths for Two Safety-Related Medical Conditions

Work-Related Sleep Disorders: Causes and Impacts

Insufficient sleep syndrome, shift work disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) not only significantly impact the health of affected individuals, but also pose a threat to public safety. This article describes the clinical manifestations and impact of these sleep disorders, particularly as they pertain to workers' health and those with safety-sensitive positions. Sleep deprivation, circadian rhythm disruptions, and excessive daytime sleepiness-hallmarks of insufficient sleep, shift work disorder, and OSA, respectively-all lead to a series of cognitive deficits and impaired concentration that affect workers in a wide variety of fields. We describe the health consequences of these disorders along with treatment strategies, with a focus on current regulatory standards and the under-recognition of OSA in commercial drivers. Given its large scale, there is a need for improved guidelines and regulations for the screening, diagnosis, treatment, and long-term follow-up of OSA in commercial motor vehicle drivers. Increased recognition of the ways in which these sleep disorders impact workers will pave the way for significant improvements in occupational health and safety.

Obstructive sleep apnea screening, diagnosis, and treatment in the transportation industry

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common, identifiable, and treatable disorder with serious health, safety, and financial implications-including sleepiness- related crashes and incidents-in workers who perform safety-sensitive functions in the transportation industry. Up to one-third of crashes of large trucks are attributable to sleepiness, and large truck crashes result in more than 4,000 deaths annually. For each occupant of a truck who is killed, 6 to 7 occupants of other vehicles are killed. Treatment of OSA is cost-effective, lowers crash rates, and improves health and well-being. A large body of scientific evidence and expert consensus supports the identification and treatment of OSA in transportation operators. An Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding the diagnosis and treatment of OSA in commercial truck and rail operators was issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and Federal Railroad Administration, but it was later withdrawn. This reversal of the agencies' position has caused confusion among some, who have questioned whether efforts to identify and treat the disorder are warranted. In response, we urge key stakeholders, including employers, operators, legislators, payers, clinicians, and patients, to engage in a collaborative, patient-centered approach to address the disorder. At a minimum, stakeholders should follow the guidelines issued by a medical review board commissioned by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in 2016 alone, or in combination with the 2006 criteria, "Sleep Apnea and Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators," a Statement from the Joint Task Force of the American College of Chest Physicians, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, and the National Sleep Foundation developed by a joint task force. As research in this area continues to evolve, waiting is no longer an option, and the current standard of care demands action to mitigate the burden of serious health and safety risks due to this common, treatable disorder.

CITATION

Das AM, Chang JL, Berneking M, Hartenbaum NP, Rosekind M, Gurubhagavatula I. Obstructive sleep apnea screening, diagnosis, and treatment in the transportation industry. J Clin Sleep Med. 2022;18(10):2471-2479.

Incidence of Workers' Compensation Claims in Opioid-Using Truck Drivers

OBJECTIVE

This study examines the relationship between opioid use prevalence and subsequent filing of workers' compensation claims.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study design was utilized to examine data from drivers' initial commercial driver medical exam, employment data, and workers' compensation claims data.

RESULTS

Data from 57,733 over 7 years were analyzed. Drivers who reported opioid use at their initial medical exam visit filed subsequent workers' compensation claims 1.81 times sooner (P = 0.0001; 95% CI 1.34, 2.44) than drivers who did not report opioid use at their CDME when controlling for age, gender, BMI, and diastolic blood pressure.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings provide information that may aid in improving regulations to control for incidents, training programs to inform professional drivers of factors that increase accident risk and educating prescribers about increased risks of injury among opioid-using drivers.

Sleep Apnea Screening for Commercial Drivers: A Retrospective Comparison of the 2016 FMCSA MRB Recommendations and the 2006 Joint Task Force Consensus Guidelines

OBJECTIVE

Compare the 2016 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and 2006 Joint Task Force (JTF) Guidelines for commercial drivers' obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) screening.

METHODS

Retrospective review of all commercial driver medical examinations performed in 2017 at an academic occupational medicine clinic. Screening criteria from both the JTF and FMCSA were applied, separately, and jointly. Statistical tests were applied as appropriate.

RESULTS

Applying the FMCSA or JTF criteria separately to 706 commercial drivers, the positive OSA screening yields were 15.7% and 16.9%, respectively. Using both criteria produced an overall positive OSA screen yield of 20.1%. Positive predictive values for applying both guidelines ranged from 72.7% to 95.5%.

CONCLUSIONS

The combined use of the 2016 FMCSA and 2006 JTF OSA screening criteria in series has a higher screening yield than using either guideline individually.