Managing insomnia in the primary care setting: raising the issues

The optimal management of insomnia in the primary care setting should be viewed as a public health problem that will require specific attention. Important recent strides in the understanding of insomnia, its consequences, and its treatment do not always provide a basis for management strategies in a setting with distinct practical limitations. A somewhat different research focus will be needed if the scientific advances are to be translated into practical improvements in therapy. In primary care today, multiple agendas compete for the physician's time. Therefore, it is necessary to view diagnosis and management in terms of both what is efficient and what is optimally effective. Much can be learned from experience with medical risk factors of broad prevalence, such as hypercholesterolemia and hypertension. Large outcome trials demonstrating the benefits of drug therapy were required before pharmacologic management became standard care in the primary care setting. For insomnia, specific issues that must be addressed include the components of diagnosis that will guide therapy and affect prognosis. How can the 10% of adults with insomnia in the primary care practice be subdivided to identify those most in need of therapy? Stated another way, what are the features of insomnia that predict risk? Is duration important? Severity? Frequency? Which treatments are most effective? Which are most efficient in terms of the time required of patient and practitioner? Do treatments for insomnia produce patient satisfaction? Do they prevent adverse outcomes, such as depression and automobile accidents? Studies are now addressing many of these questions. In selecting research priorities, however, the practical application of this information in the clinical setting is important if the ultimate goal is to reduce the number of patients suffering from insomnia and its consequences.