Medical student education in sleep and its disorders : still meagre 20 years on : a cross-sectional survey of UK undergraduate medical education

Sleep is a pillar of health, alongside adequate nutrition and exercise. Problems with sleep are common and often treatable. Twenty years ago, UK medical school education on sleep disorders had a median teaching time of 15 min; we investigate whether education on sleep disorders has improved. This is a cross-sectional survey, including time spent on teaching sleep medicine, subtopics covered and forms of assessment. Thirty-four medical degree courses in the UK were investigated via a questionnaire. We excluded responses not concerned with general undergraduate education (i.e. optional modules). Twenty-five (74%) medical schools responded. Time spent teaching undergraduates sleep medicine was: median, 1.5 hr; mode,