Stephenson, Lorraine Ann. Assessment of the perceptions of sleep quality of healthcare staff in a subacute setting. Retrieved from https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-ttn2-j905
DescriptionPoor sleep quality for patients in any type of healthcare setting can negatively impact patients’ outcomes. Lack of adequate sleep can lead to increased blood pressure and heart rate and loss of ability to hear and recall speech, can impede wound healing, increase patient agitation and delirium, increase pain and less effective pain management, increase recovery time, and—as both a problem and a causative factor for other negative outcomes—reduced sleep quantity and quality. The study used educational intervention to assess the perceptions of nursing and ancillary staff at a skilled nursing facility of the importance of sleep quality for patients and strategies to improve sleep quality. The intervention consisted of two one-hour sessions held over a two-week period. The level of perception of the participants was assessed with a pre-and-post intervention survey questionnaire. The findings of the study indicated that the educational intervention has no statistically significant effect on the knowledge of staff in a subacute/skilled nursing facility concerning the understanding of the importance of sleep quality and knowledge of strategies to improve sleep quality in patients. With the acknowledgment of non-significant results, this study prompts the need for a revised methodology or intervention to effectively inform actionable strategies for future sleep promotion initiatives in subacute care settings.