Sleep in cardiac arrest survivors.
Amanda Hellström, Anders Bremer, Lise-Lotte Gunnarsson and 1 others
PMID 36168674WHAT IT FOUND
Nurses often fail to ask cardiac arrest survivors about sleep, assuming it is not a priority or will resolve after discharge.
When they do notice problems, they frequently rely on medication or waiting for the patient to speak up, rather than assessing sleep actively.
Key findings
01Nurses did not routinely ask patients about sleep during follow-up calls, often assuming it was not a major concern unless the patient raised it.
02When nurses identified sleep difficulties, their primary responses were administering hypnotic or sedative drugs, or making environmental adjustments like leaving a light on.
03Nurses perceived that sleep was expected to be poor in the acute hospital phase and often did not reflect on the long-term consequences for survivors after discharge.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study only interviewed nurses, not patients, so the findings reflect nurses' perceptions rather than actual patient sleep experiences. The sample was small (19 nurses) and drawn from Swedish hospitals, which may limit transferability to other healthcare systems. The interview guide focused on specific aspects of sleep, potentially missing other relevant factors like non-pharmacological interventions or knowledge of normal sleep patterns.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The study was funded by Region Östergötland and the Medical Research Council of Southeast Sweden.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these findings as evidence that nurses are negligent. The study describes perceptions and routine practices in a specific context, showing that sleep assessment is not currently integrated into standard follow-up protocols, rather than a failure of individual care.