Safety of implementing a sleep protocol in hospitalized patients

Although good sleep during hospitalization may promote positive outcomes, some patients and clinicians may have concerns about nursing interventions designed to reduce night-time sleep disturbances.

A randomized prospective trial of an intervention to promote sleep was conducted with stable, post-operative oncology patients. Eligible patients were randomized to receive usual nursing care overnight or sleep-promoting interventions.

All thirty-seven surgeons in the organization agreed to let their qualified patients participate. One hundred and forty-four patients met the study criteria. Of those, 117 (81%) consented to participate, while 27 (19%) declined. The primary reason for non-enrollment was wanting to be checked on throughout the night (n = 21, 78%). There were no adverse events during the study period. Patients' perceptions of pain and nausea control among the two groups were equivalent.

An intervention to decrease sleep disturbances can be safely executed in a post-operative population while maintaining adequate symptom management.