title: Sleep rounds: a multidisciplinary approach to optimize sleep quality and satisfaction in hospitalized patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Poor sleep has adverse affects on heath, yet few studies have addressed the goal of improving sleep among hospitalized patients. We evaluated the effectiveness of a sleep-promoting intervention on the quality and quantity of sleep among inpatients.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was conducted on a neurological ward in a large, tertiary care hospital. Sleep quality, quantity, and disruptors were assessed using questionnaires completed by patients during their hospital stay and Press Ganey surveys completed retrospectively. Room noise was also measured using noise meters. Data from each of 4 chronological phases of the study (baseline, basic intervention, "washout," and deluxe intervention) were analyzed. In the intervention phases, nurses conducted "Sleep Rounds" at bedtime, during which sleep-promoting practices were implemented, including lights out, television off, temperature adjustment, and a final restroom usage.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients reported 5 (interquartile range [IQR] 3) hours of sleep per night, awoke 3 (IQR 3) times nightly, and reported a median sleep latency of 11 to 15 minutes. Pain, staff interruptions, and roommates were the most significant barriers to good sleep. Noise levels were adequately low (35-40 dB) at night but were not positively impacted by our sleep-promoting interventions. Patients perceived noise on the unit to be worse during phases of the study in which there was no intervention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patient perception of sleep experience improved during the phases in which Sleep Rounds were implemented, despite the fact that there was no measurable improvement in sleep or sleep-disrupting factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Katherine P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Rachel E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Salas
authors.forename: Charlene
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gamaldo
authors.forename: Yolanda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chik
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Huffman
authors.forename: Russell
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rasquinha
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Hoesch
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008027:Light / Q000009:adverse effects; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000517:prevention & control; D059408:Pain Management; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control*; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers