Sleep Quality of Patients on a General Department During the First Days of Hospitalization

The main aim of the study was to record subjective assessment of sleep quality between men and woman in hospitalised patients over 3 nights and look for associations with other basic hospitalisation data (age, type of department, surgery, pain, type of admission, previous hospitalisation, sleep-inducing medication). The secondary aim was to determine whether the Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test (FIRST) questionnaire is an appropriate tool for identifying hospitalised individuals prone to situational sleep disturbance.

A multicentre descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in regular surgical and medical departments of seven selected hospitals in the Czech Republic. On the first day of hospitalization, patients completed the FIRST screening questionnaire. Their subjectively perceived sleep quality for the previous night was assessed from the second to the fourth day of hospitalization using the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ).

The study included 340 patients (172 females and 168 males; mean age 58.9 ± 14.9 years and 57.3 ± 15.0 years, respectively). No significant differences in RCSQ scores were observed between men and women or across the three nights of hospitalization. Moderate correlations were identified between hospitalization data and RCSQ scores, with the strongest positive correlation for alprazolam use (Ra = 0.604). Other positive correlations included surgical department hospitalization, sleep-inducing medications, surgery, male sex, and age. The strongest negative correlation was with pain (Ra = -0.498), while other negative correlations included elective admission, medical department hospitalization, and previous hospitalization. The studied factors explained 18% of the RCSQ variability. The association between FIRST scores and RCSQ was statistically significant (p < 0.001) but weak (Spearman's -0.1734, Kendall's tau -0.1234).

Subjective sleep quality during hospitalization is related to the type of department, care provided, and pain, age, and sex. There were no significant changes in subjective sleep quality ratings during the first three days of hospitalization. The FIRST questionnaire is not a suitable screening tool for identifying individuals with situational sleep disturbance in hospital.