Critical Care Nurses
1 CJ Scotto, PhD, RN, CCRN, Staff Nurse, ICU/CCU, Cuyahoga Falls General Hospital, and Assistant Professor of Nursing, University of Akron, College of Nursing, Uniontown, OH, USA
2 C McClusky, RN, CCRN, Staff Nurse, ICU/CCU, Cuyahoga Falls General
Hospital, Akron, OH, USA
3 S Spillan, RN, BSN, Graduate Student, University of Akron, College of
Nursing, Cuyahoga Falls, OH, USA
4 J Kimmel, BS, MS, Instructor, Statistics Department, University of
Akron, Akron, OH, USA
Abstract
Aims: This study aimed to determine the effects of earplug use on the
subjective experience of sleep for patients in critical care.
Background: The negative effects of noise in critical care include
sleep disturbances, increased stress response, and reduced patient
satisfaction. The nature of critical care often precludes quiet time protocols.
Previous studies indicated that earplugs can improve REM sleep and sleep
efficiency. This study examined the effects of earplugs as a non-invasive
method for improving the subjective sleep experience and increasing patient
satisfaction.
Design: Quasi-experimental intervention study with random assignment of
subjects.
Method: Subjects were non-ventilated, non-sedated adults admitted to
critical care. The intervention group used earplugs during nighttime sleep
hours allowing short term removal during patient care. Participants completed
the Verran-Snyder-Halpern Sleep Scale, an 8-question visual analogue scale, to
describe their subjective response to sleep. Two sample T-tests were used to
detect differences between the group scores.
Results: 88 participants (49 intervention/39 control) completed the
study. Mean age 63, 56% males, 93% Caucasian. Total sleep satisfaction scores
were significantly better for the intervention group (p = .002). Seven of the
subjective categories were independently significant (p = .005-.044). One
category, satisfaction with the amount of time needed to fall asleep, was not
significant (p = .111).
Conclusions: Earplug use improved the subjective experience of sleep
for un-medicated critical care patients without interfering with care delivery.
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