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Use of sleep medications in hospitalized pediatric patients

Lisa J Meltzer1, Jodi A Mindell, Judith A Owens

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3535 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. meltzerl@email.chop.edu

Pediatrics
|June 5, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Approximately 3-6% of hospitalized children receive sleep medications, with antihistamines and benzodiazepines being common. Prescription patterns vary by hospital, age, and diagnosis, highlighting the need for further research and guidelines.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric pharmacology
  • Sleep medicine
  • Hospital medicine

Background:

  • Limited data exists on sleep medication use in hospitalized children.
  • Understanding prescription patterns is crucial for improving patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of sleep medication prescriptions in hospitalized children.
  • To identify specific medications used for sleep disturbances.
  • To examine factors influencing prescription practices.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective chart review of 9440 pediatric inpatients across 3 hospitals.
  • Data collected included demographic, medical, and medication information.
  • Analysis focused on sleep medication prescriptions and associated variables.

Main Results:

  • 6.0% of all hospitalized children received sleep medication (3% excluding psychiatric diagnoses).
  • Antihistamines (36.6%) and benzodiazepines (19.4%) were most common; hypnotics were least common (2.2%).
  • Prescription rates and types varied significantly by hospital, age, length of stay, and service; children with psychiatric diagnoses were more likely to receive sleep medication.

Conclusions:

  • A notable percentage of hospitalized children are treated with various sleep medications.
  • Significant variability exists in prescribing practices, influenced by hospital, service, age, and diagnosis.
  • The absence of FDA-approved pediatric sleep medications and guidelines underscores the need for clinical trials and research.
Abstract

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