Mortality Rates Following a Sleep Improvement Program in UK Mental Health Wards: Evidence That a Personalized Sleep...

Area of Science:

• Mental Health Nursing
• Sleep Medicine
• Patient Safety Research

Background:

• Sleep disturbance is common in hospitals, negatively impacting mental health outcomes and increasing length of stay.
• Routine enhanced observations on mental health wards disrupt patient sleep and may not be necessary for all individuals.
• A sleep improvement program (SleepWell) was implemented, featuring ward adaptations and a protected overnight sleep period.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the long-term patient safety of a ward-based sleep improvement program.
• To assess the potential benefits of a sleep program that includes a protected sleep period.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective review of inpatient mortality over 4 years was conducted.
• Mortality rates, causes of death, and timing of death were compared between wards with and without the SleepWell program.
• Age-adjusted mortality rates were analyzed.

Main Results:

• No deaths occurred during the protected sleep period across 77 total deaths over 4 years.
• Older adult wards utilizing the SleepWell program demonstrated lower mortality rates compared to control wards.
• The protected sleep intervention was deemed safe for inpatients.

Conclusions:

• Frequent overnight observations may pose a risk by disturbing sleep, challenging their perceived safety benefit.
• A ward-based sleep improvement program incorporating a protected sleep period is safely implementable.
• Effective staff education and individualized risk assessments are crucial for successful implementation.