Researchers have developed a program, consisting of a few simple steps, that helps patients get the restorative rest essential for healing.
The study – a collaboration between researchers from the Australian Institute of Health Innovation (AIHI) at Macquarie University, St Vincent’s Health Network, the University of New South Wales and the Sleep Foundation, Australia – suggests that 40% of patients experience their sleep in the hospital rates as “poor” or “very poor”, mainly due to noise.
Corey Adams, a clinical researcher at AIHI and lead author of the study, said that while people know hospitals can be noisy places, the research shows the problem is “more severe than expected.”
“Research shows that patients sleep an average of five hours in hospital, which is significantly less than what they normally sleep at home,” he said.
“Sleep in the hospital is also interrupted and fragmented. Patients are disturbed by alarms, equipment, talking and clinical activities, preventing them from entering the deeper sleep that is essential for recovery and healing.”
A new study published in the International Journal of Healthcare Quality reveals that noise in hospital wards typically exceeds levels set by the World Health Organization to significantly impact patient recovery by disrupting sleep.
‘The Silent Threat: Investigating Sleep Disturbances in Hospitalized Patient’ shows that the average noise level in patient rooms is 47.2 dB, which is higher than the World Health Organization recommendation of 30 dB.
Adams said: “Noise is rated as ‘very disruptive’ by one in five patients surveyed for this study, followed by ‘acute health problems’ and ‘nursing interventions’, with patients in shared rooms reporting significantly higher levels of sleep disruption than those in single rooms.”
Shared rooms and sleep quality
Researchers collected data on sleep experiences by surveying patients who spent more than 24 hours in one of seven wards at a major public hospital in Sydney over four weeks in late 2021, while also placing noise-measuring devices in single and shared rooms.
As part of the project, noise levels were measured over a 12-hour period from 8pm at night, with the average noise level being 47.2 dB. The maximum readings were between 93.6 dB and 106.9 dB, louder than a busy restaurant and almost as loud as a motorcycle.
“The problem is worse in shared rooms. The majority of patients in shared rooms reported ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ sleep with noise levels exceeding 100 dB, equivalent to the sound of a lawn mower,” Adams said.
“We also found that the number of noise peaks in all shared spaces was very high: in one room, for example, there were 86 noise peaks over a twelve-hour period. On average, this equates to one noise interruption every seven minutes.”
Health complications
Decreased sleep increased the risk of health complications such as impaired glucose tolerance, hypertension, increased stress hormone response and delirium, the study said.
Adams said a patient who doesn’t get quality sleep may feel increased pain, experience memory loss, exhibit worsening mood and become anxious or irritable.
“This could also have implications for hospital staff exposed to the same noise levels, affecting their concentration and memory,” said the patient welfare specialist.
“We have developed the HUSH project – Help Us Support Healing – where patients are given a package upon admission similar to what is provided on an airplane, with earplugs, eye masks and information on how to sleep better in hospital.
“It was a small project that made a big difference to health and wellbeing, and research showed it was particularly useful for patients in shared rooms.
“It’s also about redefining care to create an environment that supports healing, and reducing the number of times staff visit a room by ‘splitting’ activities can further minimize disruption to patients.
“A lot of noise is created by people talking; when we’re in an environment that’s noisy, we amplify our own noise, so breaking that cycle is key to awareness that’s important,” Adams said.
Visit this link to read the original article written by Sarah Nicholson about The Lighthouse at Macquarie University.
Image credits: iStock.com/beerkoff
