Airway Health with Julia Worrall! - Episode 207

Sometimes the real challenge in treating an airway disorder is getting the patient to actually take our advice—which can mean encouraging the other care providers a patient has to speak to them about the problem. This week’s guest believes in not only treating airway disorders within our profession, but reaching out to other medical fields to ensure these problems are comprehensively addressed.

Julia Worrall, “The Sleep RN,” is a registered nurse and the program director of the FAH Airway Advocate Program, which advocates for greater awareness and treatment of airway issues. A member of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, she works tirelessly to address the epidemic of sleep disorders affecting Americans today.

In this episode, Julia explains how hygienists can sound the alarm on airway issues, discusses how dental professionals can link up with people in other fields to tackle these problems, and suggests ways we can more effectively reach out to patients about airway concerns.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

Interview starts: 16:30

– Why Julia really appreciates the learning curve aspect of her work, even if it means having to discard what she thought to be true.

– Overcoming our natural impostor syndrome as the dental community takes on more and more medical issues.

– How dental professionals can become “first responders” when it comes to airway issues.

– Why how we communicate our airway concerns to patients can affect if they actually take our advice.

– On building bridges with nurses and other members of different medical professions.

– How our knowledge of airway issues has changed over the course of 2019—and what Julia says 2020 has in store for us.

– Getting over your fear of admitting “I don’t know.”

– What’s the most interesting thing Julia has learned at this conference?

QUOTES:

“We’re also professionals and that means we don’t stay stuck in what we believe to be true when there’s new evidence.”