ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND & PROBLEMS: Poor sleep quality during hospitalization may lead to post-hospital symptoms and increase readmission rates and mortality. Patients in our intensive care unit (ICU) reported low mean scores on the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ) during their third and fifth days of hospitalization (49.7 mm and 51.7 mm, respectively). Therefore, a project to improve sleep quality in the ICU was established. PURPOSE: To increase the mean RCSQ score from 51.7 mm to 76.0 mm on the fifth day. The fifth day timeframe was chosen because of the disease conditions of the patients and related clinical-medical factors. RESOLUTIONS: The project team proposed an evidence-based, sleep care bundle that included non-medication pain control, environmental regulation, improvement of the care process, and individualized sleep care. RESULTS: After implementing the bundled intervention, the mean RCSQ score of patients in our ICU increased from 49.7 mm to 55.9 mm on the third day and from 51.7 mm to 80.9 mm on the fifth day. CONCLUSIONS: This application of a sleep care bundle effectively improved the factors affecting sleep disturbance and improved quality of sleep in the patients in our intensive care unit.
