To sleep or not to sleep during hospitalisation – a mixed-method study of patient reported sleep quality and the experience of sleeping poorly during hospitalisation
Sammanfattning
Background: Complaints of sleep deprivation are a well-documented problem among hospitalised patients, and poor sleep quality is associated with a variety of negative health outcomes. Limited knowledge exists about patients’ experiences of sleep quality in general. Aim: To examine patient-reported sleep quality during hospitalisation, to identify predictors of poor sleep quality, and to explore patients’ experiences related to sleep. Methods: A QUAN-qual design that included a survey (N=257) and interviews (N=12). Sleep quality was investigated with the St. Mary’s Hospital Sleep Questionnaire, and interviews were analysed using content analysis. Data was collected between October 2014 and February 2015. Results: In general, inpatients reported a high sleep quality score in regard to the perceptions of sleep during the previous night, feelings of clear-headedness in the morning, and satisfaction with sleep. Decreased sleep duration, increased awakenings and time taken to fall asleep, lower age and gender (female) were essential predictors of poor sleep quality. Awakenings during the night were experienced as being carried away by thoughts or a decision to reschedule sleep to another time. Conclusion: Even when patients report that they have slept well, their sleep must be assessed systematically, and experiences of awakenings must be considered.