Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jul;29(7):3865-3876.
doi: 10.1007/s00520-020-05970-4. Epub 2021 Jan 2.

Barriers to managing sleep disturbance in people with malignant brain tumours and their caregivers: a qualitative analysis of healthcare professionals' perception

Megan S Jeon  1 , Meera R Agar  2   3   4 , Eng-Siew Koh  2   4   5 , Anna K Nowak  6   7 , Elizabeth J Hovey  8   9 , Haryana M Dhillon  10
Affiliations

Barriers to managing sleep disturbance in people with malignant brain tumours and their caregivers: a qualitative analysis of healthcare professionals' perception

Megan S Jeon et al. Support Care Cancer. 2021 Jul.

Abstract

Purpose: This study explores healthcare professionals (HCPs)' perception and current management of sleep disturbance (SD) in people with malignant brain tumours and their caregivers. We aimed to identify barriers to effective management of SD in neuro-oncology care.

Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 HCPs involved in neuro-oncology care. The study was underpinned by the Capability Opportunity Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) model within the Behavioural Change Wheel (BCW) guiding topic selection for the exploration of underlying processes of HCPs' behaviours and care decisions for SD management. Data were analysed thematically using a framework synthesis, and subsequently mapped onto the BCW to identify barriers for effective management and recommend potential interventions.

Results: We identified four themes: HCPs' clinical opinions about SD, the current practice of SD management in neuro-oncology clinics, gaps in the current practice, and suggested areas for improvements. HCPs perceived SD as a prevalent yet secondary issue of low priority in neuro-oncology care. SD was unrecognised, and inadequately managed in usual clinical settings. Interventional options included modifying the use of corticosteroids or prescribing sedatives. When mapped onto the BCW, themes identified main barriers as a lack of awareness among HCPs about SD warranting care, due to the absence of screening tools and limited knowledge and resources for therapeutic interventions.

Conclusions: Multidisciplinary HCPs need training in the routine use of appropriate sleep assessment tools, and access to clear management pathways. More professional resources are needed to educate staff in implementing appropriate interventions for people with malignant brain tumours who are experiencing SD.

Keywords: Brain tumours; Clinician interview; Neuro-oncology care; Qualitative analysis; Sleep disturbance.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Teke FMD, Bucaktepe PGEMD, Kibrisli EMD, Demir MMD, Ibiloglu AOMD, Inal AMD (2016) Quality of life, psychological burden, and sleep quality in patients with brain metastasis undergoing whole brain radiation therapy. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing 20(5):E118–E125. https://doi.org/10.1188/16.CJON.AE-02 - DOI
    1. Lis CG, Gupta D, Grutsch JF (2008) The relationship between insomnia and patient satisfaction with quality of life in cancer. Supportive care in cancer: official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer 16(3):261–266 - DOI
    1. Collins KP, Geller DA, Antoni M, Donnell DM, Tsung A, Marsh JW, Burke L, Penedo F, Terhorst L, Kamarck TW, Greene A, Buysse DJ, Steel JL (2017) Sleep duration is associated with survival in advanced cancer patients. Sleep Medicine 32:208–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2016.06.041 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Mercadante S, Adile C, Ferrera P, Masedu F, Valenti M, Aielli F (2017) Sleep disturbances in advanced cancer patients admitted to a supportive/palliative care unit. Supportive Care in Cancer 25(4):1301–1306. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-016-3524-4 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Phipps AI, Bhatti P, Neuhouser ML, Chen C, Crane TE, Kroenke CH, Ochs-Balcom H, Rissling M, Snively BM, Stefanick ML, Treggiari MM, Watson NF (2016) Pre-diagnostic sleep duration and sleep quality in relation to subsequent cancer survival. J Clin Sleep Med 12(4):495–503. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.5674 - DOI - PubMed - PMC

LinkOut - more resources