Sleep Disorders Division, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Sleep Med. 2022 Apr;92:88-95. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2022.03.009. Epub 2022 Mar 17.
OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: Sleep problems are common in people on the autism spectrum. This study reviews one detailed approach to querying the electronic health record (EHR) in a large tertiary care center.
PATIENTS/METHODS: We developed methods for identifying people on the autism spectrum and defined their sleep problems using the key words, "sleep" or "melatonin", or International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes. We examined treatment responses of these individuals to melatonin supplementation.
Sleep problems were documented in 86% of patients with ages ranging from 6 to 30 years old. Our specific keyword search yielded more patients with sleep diagnoses than ICD codes alone. About two-thirds of patients who received melatonin supplementation reported benefit from its use.
Our study provides a framework for using deidentified medical records to characterize sleep, a common co-occurring condition, in people on the autism spectrum. Using specific keywords could be helpful in future work that queries the EHR.
目的/背景：睡眠问题在自闭症谱系人群中很常见。本研究回顾了在大型三级护理中心查询电子健康记录（EHR）的一种详细方法。
患者/方法：我们开发了一种识别自闭症谱系人群的方法，并使用“睡眠”或“褪黑素”或国际疾病分类（ICD）代码来定义他们的睡眠问题。我们检查了这些人对褪黑素补充的治疗反应。
在年龄在 6 至 30 岁之间的患者中，有 86%的患者记录了睡眠问题。我们的特定关键词搜索比单独使用 ICD 编码产生了更多的睡眠诊断患者。大约三分之二接受褪黑素补充的患者报告说使用褪黑素对他们有帮助。
我们的研究为使用去识别的医疗记录来描述自闭症谱系人群中常见的共病睡眠问题提供了一个框架。使用特定的关键词在未来查询 EHR 的工作中可能会有所帮助。
