Abstract Details

Sleep is a process critical to our daily physical revitalization, but sleep in the hospital is often very disruptive and is associated with poorer health outcomes during recovery.

To assess patient sleep quality and perceptions on sleep disturbances on a neurology inpatient unit in order to minimize sleep disturbances during hospitalization.

From April 2021 to August 2021, patients completed a series of validated sleep questionnaires on a neurology inpatient unit to screen for daytime sleepiness and sleep apnea, and assess possible sleep disturbances experienced, sleep quality, and sleep duration from the previous night. Surveys were administered three times a week to patients oriented and available to participate, and slept on the unit for at least one whole night.

The top diagnoses in our patient sample of 88 were seizures (35.23%) and strokes (27.27%). The mean total sleep time across 100 completed surveys was 6.93 hours, with an average sleep efficiency of 83.31%. Bed comfort, general noise, and vital signs were the most significant disruptors to sleep, while neurologic checks, staff conversations, and light were ranked the least disruptive. 26 patients (29.54%) screened high risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) without a previous diagnosis, and of the 12 that had the diagnosis, providers did not order PAP for 4 of these patients (33%). Providers did order sleep aids for 12 of those newly screened as high risk for OSA (46.15%). Additionally, 35.48% of the seizure patients and 45.83% of the stroke patients surveyed screened high risk for OSA.

There is undoubtedly room to minimize the top ranked disruptors. Sleep efficiency may improve by bringing more attention to screening for undiagnosed sleep disorders when patients request sleep aids and troubleshooting PAP therapy. Our next steps include implementing sleep protocols onto the floor and reducing unnecessary overnight orders.