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. 2023 Aug;38(3):278-285.
doi: 10.4266/acc.2023.00514. Epub 2023 Aug 11.

Factors influencing sleep quality in the intensive care unit: a descriptive pilot study in Korea

Yoon Hae Ahn  1 , Hong Yeul Lee  1 , Sang-Min Lee  1   2 , Jinwoo Lee  2
Affiliations

Factors influencing sleep quality in the intensive care unit: a descriptive pilot study in Korea

Yoon Hae Ahn et al. Acute Crit Care. 2023 Aug.

Abstract

Background: As sleep disturbances are common in the intensive care unit (ICU), this study assessed the sleep quality in the ICU and identified barriers to sleep.

Methods: Patients admitted to the ICUs of a tertiary hospital between June 2022 and December 2022 who were not mechanically ventilated at enrollment were included. The quality of sleep (QoS) at home was assessed on a visual analog scale as part of an eight-item survey, while the QoS in the ICU was evaluated using the Korean version of the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (K-RCSQ). Good QoS was defined by a score of ≥50.

Results: Of the 30 patients in the study, 19 reported a QoS score <50. The Spearman correlation coefficient showed no meaningful relationship between the QoS at home and the overall K-RCSQ QoS score in the ICU (r=0.16, P=0.40). The most common barriers to sleep were physical discomfort (43%), being awoken for procedures (43%), and feeling unwell (37%); environmental factors including noise (30%) and light (13%) were also identified sources of sleep disruption. Physical discomfort (median [interquartile range]: 32 [28.0-38.0] vs. 69 [42.0-80.0], P=0.004), being awoken for procedures (36 [20.0-48.0] vs. 54 [36.0-80.0], P=0.04), and feeling unwell (31 [18.0-42.0] vs. 54 [40.0-76.0], P=0.01) were associated with lower K-RCSQ scores.

Conclusions: In the ICU, physical discomfort, patient care interactions, and feeling unwell were identified as barriers to sleep.

Keywords: critically ill; intensive care unit; sleep quality; survey.

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Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Self-reported barriers to sleep in the intensive care unit.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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