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Keep calm and have a good night: nurses' strategies to promote inpatients' sleep in the hospital environment
Author(s) -
SalzmannErikson Martin,
Lagerqvist Linda,
Pousette Sandra
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of caring sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.678
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1471-6712
pISSN - 0283-9318
DOI - 10.1111/scs.12255
Subject(s) - sleep (system call) , psychology , nursing , medicine , computer science , operating system
Patients in the hospital environment are suffering from disrupted sleep, which adversely affects their recovery process, health and well‐being. The aim of this study was to explore nurses' experiences and their strategies to promote inpatients' sleep. An empirical qualitative design was applied. Eight nurses at a hospital in Sweden were purposefully selected to be included in semi‐structured interviews. Burnard's method for inductively analysing interview transcripts was applied. The findings are presented in four categories: (i) prevention and planning as a sleep‐promoting nursing strategy; (ii) adaptation of the environment as a sleep‐promoting nursing strategy; (iii) use of drugs as a sleep‐promoting nursing strategy; and (iv) caring conversation as a sleep‐promoting nursing strategy. Using strategies to promote sleep is important as it affects the recovery of the patients. We argue for the use of simple strategies of sensory reduction as cost‐effective sleep‐promoting measures that also reduce the use of sedative drugs.