Factors Contributing to Sleep Disturbance in Inpatients With Cancer: A Cross-sectional Study

Sleep disturbances can have significant physiological consequences and are associated with several health problems, including cancer.

To assess the prevalence and self-reported determinants of sleep disturbances in patients hospitalized with oncohematological disease.

This was a cross-sectional study in 2 specialized oncohematology units of the Catalan Public Health System (Spain). A stratified probability sampling strategy was implemented. Data were collected using a questionnaire that was previously developed and tested, based on the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Questionnaire.

The study included 621 oncohematological patients. The self-reported prevalence of sleep disturbance was 61.5% (n = 375). More than 90% of the patients woke up during the night, with an average of 3.1 (SD, 2.0) interruptions. The mean self-reported quality of sleep score was 6.5/10 (SD, 2.2) points. There was a statistically significant but low-magnitude inverse relationship between the presence of disturbances and self-reported sleep quality. The most influential factors were the number of times patients woke up, professional conversations in the corridor, professional interruptions, room light, pain/discomfort, and roommates ( P < .001).

Inpatients with oncohematological disease report very frequent sleep disruptions. The main causes are environmental discomfort, pain and anxiety, and noise caused by clinical devices and professionals. Numerous factors in the hospital environment that result in rest disturbance can be modified or controlled.

Professionals must lead strategies to change the dynamics of care and environment to improve the patient's rest. Current models of care should be reviewed with the aim of promoting better sleep environments.