A prospective analysis of sleep deprivation and disturbance in surgical patients

Dolan, R. , Huh, J., Tiwari, N., Sproat, T. and Camilleri-Brennan, J. (2016) A prospective analysis of sleep deprivation and disturbance in surgical patients. Annals of Medicine and Surgery, 6, pp. 1-5. (doi: 10.1016/j.amsu.2015.12.046) (PMID:26909151) (PMCID:PMC4735557)

Abstract

Introduction: Sleep deprivation has a potentially deleterious effect on postoperative recovery. The aim of our prospective study was to identify the factors contributing to postoperative sleep deprivation and disturbance in order to recommend improvements in postoperative care. Methods: 102 consecutive patients attending for elective general and orthopaedic surgery were interviewed preoperatively (baseline) and postoperatively on their duration of sleep, number of wakenings during the night, factors contributing to sleep loss and the use of analgesia and night sedation. Results: Patients woke up a median of 5 times in the first postoperative night compared to a median of 3 times preoperatively (p = 0.01). Pain was the predominant factor preventing sleep, affecting 39% of patients preoperatively and 48% of patients on the first postoperative day. Other factors included noise from other patients and nursing staff, and using the toilet. Analgesia was taken by more than 90% of patients in the first two days, this number gradually reducing over the postoperative period. On the other hand, in the first two postoperative days, only about 5% of patients had night sedation. Discussion and conclusions: Apart from highlighting the need for effective pain management postoperatively, we believe that our study supports the drive towards single bed bays, where steps can be taken to minimize the impact of environmental factors on sleep.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Camilleri-Brennan, Mr John and Dolan, Dr Ross
• Authors: Dolan, R., Huh, J., Tiwari, N., Sproat, T., and Camilleri-Brennan, J.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing
• Journal Name: Annals of Medicine and Surgery
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 2049-0801
• ISSN (Online): 2049-0801
• Published Online: 06 January 2016
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2016 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Annals of Medicine and Surgery 6:1-5
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License