RPSGT Documentation & Record Keeping 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which scoring rule applies when both an arousal and a respiratory event end at the same epoch boundary?
- Score both the respiratory event and the arousal separately (Correct answer)
- Score only the arousal and omit the respiratory event
- Score only the respiratory event and omit the arousal
- Discard the epoch from analysis
Correct answer: Score both the respiratory event and the arousal separately
AASM rules allow respiratory events and arousals to be scored independently even when they share a time boundary, so both must be documented.
Question 2: A calibration record showing electrode impedances should be retained for a minimum of:
- The same retention period as the full PSG record (typically 7–10 years per facility/state policy) (Correct answer)
- 24 hours post-study only
- 30 days
- 6 months
Correct answer: The same retention period as the full PSG record (typically 7–10 years per facility/state policy)
Calibration and impedance logs are part of the study record and must be retained for the same duration as the PSG report itself.
Question 3: In PSG documentation, 'lights off' time refers to:
- The clock time when the patient was instructed to attempt sleep (Correct answer)
- When the technician turned off the monitoring equipment
- When the last NREM period ended
- The time REM latency is calculated from
Correct answer: The clock time when the patient was instructed to attempt sleep
Lights off is the standardized start of the sleep opportunity period, and all latency measures (sleep onset, REM) are calculated from this reference point.
Question 4: If a patient reports taking a sleep medication not listed on intake paperwork, the technician must:
- Add it to the study documentation and notify the interpreting physician (Correct answer)
- Ignore it since the study has already started
- Cancel the study
- Document it only in the billing record
Correct answer: Add it to the study documentation and notify the interpreting physician
Undisclosed medications can alter sleep architecture and must be added to the record and brought to the interpreting physician's attention.
Question 5: Body position during a PSG is most commonly recorded using:
- A position sensor whose data is embedded as a channel in the EDF/PSG file (Correct answer)
- Written notes taken every 15 minutes by the technician
- Patient self-report at wake time
- Video review only after the study
Correct answer: A position sensor whose data is embedded as a channel in the EDF/PSG file
A body position sensor channel synchronized with the recording allows precise correlation of position with respiratory events and sleep stages.
Question 6: An 'out of bed' period must be documented in the sleep log because it affects the calculation of:
- Total sleep time and sleep efficiency (Correct answer)
- REM latency only
- AHI only
- SpO2 nadir
Correct answer: Total sleep time and sleep efficiency
Out-of-bed periods reduce time in bed and must be accurately documented to prevent incorrect inflation of total sleep time and sleep efficiency.
Question 7: Which element is required in a MSLT (Multiple Sleep Latency Test) documentation that is NOT required in a standard overnight PSG report?
- Nap trial start/end times and whether REM sleep occurred in each nap (Correct answer)
- Patient's primary complaint
- Electrode placement diagram
- SpO2 monitoring results
Correct answer: Nap trial start/end times and whether REM sleep occurred in each nap
MSLT reports must document the exact start and end of each nap opportunity and presence or absence of sleep-onset REM periods (SOREMPs) per nap.
RPSGT Documentation & Record Keeping 3
Which scoring rule applies when both an arousal and a respiratory event end at the same epoch boundary?