The accuracy of simple, feasible alternatives to polysomnography for assessing sleep in intensive care: An observational study.

BACKGROUND: Sleep disturbance is common in intensive care patients. Understanding the accuracy of simple, feasible sleep measurement techniques is essential to informing their possible role in usual clinical care. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate whether sleep monitoring techniques such as actigraphy (ACTG), behavioural assessments, and patient surveys are comparable with polysomnography (PSG) in accurately reporting sleep quantity and quality among conscious, intensive care patients. METHODS: An observational study was conducted in 20 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for a minimum duration of 24 h, who underwent concurrent sleep monitoring via PSG, ACTG, nursing-based observations, and self-reported assessment using the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire. RESULTS: The reported total sleep time (TST) for the 20 participants measured by PSG was 328.2 min (±106 min) compared with ACTG (362.4 min [±62.1 min]; mean difference = 34.22 min [±129 min]). Bland-Altman analysis indicated that PSG and ACTG demonstrated clinical agreement and did not perform differently across a number of sleep variables including TST, awakening, sleep-onset latency, and sleep efficiency. Nursing observations overestimated sleep duration compared to PSG TST (mean difference = 9.95 ± 136.3 min, p > 0.05), and patient-reported TST was underestimated compared to PSG TST (mean difference = -51.81 ± 144.1 7, p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Amongst conscious patients treated in the ICU, sleep characteristics measured by ACTG were similar to those measured by PSG. ACTG may provide a clinically feasible and acceptable proxy approach to sleep monitoring in conscious ICU patients.

Factors influencing nursing students' ability to recognise and respond to simulated patient deterioration: A scoping review.

AIM: The aim of this scoping review was to identify empirical literature on simulation used to develop undergraduate nursing student's clinical assessment skills to recognise and respond to patient deterioration. BACKGROUND: Early recognition and response to clinical deterioration is necessary to ensure the best outcome for the patient. Undergraduate nursing students have limited exposure to deteriorating patient situations, therefore simulation is widely implemented in nursing courses to address this educational need. It is imperative to identify the simulation modalities and features that best optimise student learning. DESIGN: Scoping review using the Joanna Briggs Institute scoping reviews methodology and the Arksey and O'Malley framework. REVIEW METHODS: Seven health databases were searched electronically for relevant literature and complemented with hand searching for additional relevant sources. A total of 344 potential articles were identified from the seven databases: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (n = 234); PubMed (n = 16); Medline (n = 51); Scopus (n = 21); Embase (n = 3); American Psychological Association PsychInfo (n = 13); and JBI (n = 6). After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 15 research articles were included in the review. RESULTS: Most research on clinical deterioration simulation was quantitative (n = 12), two were qualitative and one used a mixed method approach. Findings included a lack of situational awareness, distractors causing incomplete patient assessment and failure to recognise deterioration. Repeated simulation showed positive results. CONCLUSIONS: Findings of this review suggest students lack situational awareness, perform incomplete assessment and fixate on single cues rather than an entire clinical picture. The use of a variety of simulation modalities was effective in improving student performance. Repeated practice within a single simulated learning experience, was shown to improve performance and situational awareness. This approach to simulation is under-researched in nursing and needs further exploration.

The Nexus Between Sleep Disturbance and Delirium Among Intensive Care Patients.

Sleep in intensive care is hampered due to many factors; the clinical environment itself exacerbates sleep disturbance. Research suggests that interventions aimed at improving sleep quality have produced positive effects in reducing incidences and duration of delirium. Sleep disturbance is well documented among intensive care patients; however, its prognostic impact is not fully understood. Delirium, disproportionally prevalent among intensive care patients, has significant prognostic factors related to patient outcomes, in which sleep disturbance often is present. The relationship between sleep disturbance and delirium is complex, sharing commonalities in relation to neurobiological and neurohormonal alterations, which may contribute to a bidirectional relationship.

Nurse-Led Randomized Controlled Trials in the Perioperative Setting: A Scoping Review.

PURPOSE: Nurses provide care at each phase of the complex, perioperative pathway and are well placed to identify areas of care requiring investigation in randomized controlled trials. Yet, currently, the scope of nurse-led randomized controlled trials conducted within the perioperative setting are unknown. This scoping review aims to identify areas of perioperative care in which nurse-led randomized controlled trials have been conducted, to identify issues impacting upon the quality of these trials and identify gaps for future investigation. METHODS: This scoping review was conducted in reference to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews. Searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, with a date range of 2014-19. Sources of unpublished literature included Open Grey, and ProQuest Dissertation and Theses, Clinical Trials.gov and the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry. After title and abstract checking, full-text retrieval and data extraction, studies were appraised using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklists for randomized controlled trials. Data were synthesized according to the main objectives. Key information was tabulated. RESULTS: From the 86 included studies, key areas where nurses have led randomized controlled trials include patient or caregiver anxiety; postoperative pain relief; surgical site infection prevention: patient and caregiver knowledge; perioperative hypothermia prevention; postoperative nausea and vomiting; in addition to other diverse outcomes. Issues impacting upon quality (including poorly reported randomization), and gaps for future investigation (including a focus on vulnerable populations), are evident. CONCLUSION: Nurse-led randomized controlled trials in the perioperative setting have focused on key areas of perioperative care. Yet, opportunities exist for nurses to lead experimental research in other perioperative priority areas and within different populations that have been neglected, such as in the population of older adults undergoing surgery.

Nursing students' experience in performing intimate clinical procedures via high fidelity Mask-Ed simulation.

Background: Didactic clinical skills training employing low fidelity simulation has been the traditional approach to teaching undergraduate nursing students the insertion of an indwelling urinary catheter. This approach, however, does not adequately prepare students for the intricacies and complexity of this procedure in the real world, which is associated with high rates of infection secondary to procedural contamination. Objectives: To explore students' confidence levels in developing clinical psychomotor skills associated with the insertion of an indwelling urinary catheter in a high-fidelity simulation using Mask-Ed. Methods: A mixed methods study was conducted involving final year Bachelor of Nursing students. Preproceduraland postprocedural confidence was rated by students using a 5-point Likert scale. A focus group consisting of eleven students was conducted to further explore student's experience of engaging with a Mask-Ed character and the procedural experience from a learning perspective. Results: The findings indicated that students increased their procedure confidence when engaging with the Mask-Ed simulation (P=0.025). The ability to maintain procedural asepsis and ability to accurately identify the correct anatomical structures related to indwelling urinary catheter insertion were found to be related (rs=0.71, P<0.05). Three primary themes were identified: caring of a person, intimate care and communication. Conclusion: Psychomotor skills related to communication, support and maintaining procedural asepsis were areas that required further clinical development, which are not concurrently integrated into the simulation approach using manikin based simulation. Mask-Ed provided a unique learning opportunity to replicate a clinically and anatomically realistic experience.

"They can rest at home": an observational study of patients' quality of sleep in an Australian hospital.

BACKGROUND: Poor sleep is known to adversely affect hospital patients' recovery and rehabilitation. The aim of the study was to investigate the perceived duration and quality of patient sleep and identify any environmental factors associated with patient-reported poor sleep in hospital. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 15 clinical units within a 672-bed tertiary-referral hospital in Australia. Semi-structured interviews to determine perceptions of sleep quantity and quality and factors that disturb nocturnal sleep were conducted with patients and nursing staff. Environmental noise, light and temperature were monitored overnight, with concurrent logging of noise sources by observers. RESULTS: Patients reported a mean reduction in hospital sleep duration, compared to home, of 1.8 h (5.3 vs. 7.1 h; p < 0.001). The proportions of patients reporting their sleep quality to be poor/very poor, fair and of good quality were 41.6, 34.2 and 24.2% respectively. Patients reported poorer sleep quality than nurses (p < 0.05). Patients, nurses and observers all reported the main factors associated with poor sleep as clinical care interventions (34.3%) and environmental noise (32.1%). Noise levels in all 15 clinical areas exceeded WHO recommended levels of < 30 dB [A] by 36.7 to 82.6%, with peak noise levels of 51.3 to 103.3 dB (A). CONCLUSION: Hospital in-patients are exposed to factors which reduce the duration and quality of their sleep. These extrinsic factors are potentially modifiable through behaviour change and reconfiguration of the clinical environment. The findings from this study provided the foundation for a quality improvement project currently underway to improve patients' sleep.

Investigating the application of motion accelerometers as a sleep monitoring technique and the clinical burden of the intensive care environment on sleep quality: study protocol for a prospective observational study in Australia.

INTRODUCTION: Sleep is a state of quiescence that facilitates the significant restorative processes that enhance individuals' physiological and psychological well-being. Patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) experience substantial sleep disturbance. Despite the biological importance of sleep, sleep monitoring does not form part of standard clinical care for critically ill patients. There exists an unmet need to assess the feasibility and accuracy of a range of sleep assessment techniques that have the potential to allow widespread implementation of sleep monitoring in the ICU. KEY MEASURES: The coprimary outcome measures of this study are to: determine the accuracy and feasibility of motion accelerometer monitoring (ie, actigraphy) and subjective assessments of sleep (nursing-based observations and patient self-reports) to the gold standard of sleep monitoring (ie, polysomnography) in evaluating sleep continuity and disturbance. The secondary outcome measures of the study will include: (1) the association between sleep disturbance and environmental factors (eg, noise, light and clinical interactions) and (2) to describe the sleep architecture of intensive care patients. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A prospective, single centre observational design with a within subjects' assessment of sleep monitoring techniques. The sample will comprise 80 adults (aged 18 years or more) inclusive of ventilated and non-ventilated patients, admitted to a tertiary ICU with a Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale score between +2 (agitated) and -3 (moderate sedation) and an anticipated length of stay >24 hours. Patients' sleep quality, total sleep time and sleep fragmentations will be continuously monitored for 24 hours using polysomnography and actigraphy. Behavioural assessments (nursing observations) and patients' self-reports of sleep quality will be assessed during the 24-hour period using the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire, subjective sleepiness evaluated via the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, along with a prehospital discharge survey regarding patients' perception of sleep quality and disturbing factors using the Little Sleep Questionnaire will be undertaken. Associations between sleep disturbance, noise and light levels, and the frequency of clinical interactions will also be investigated. Sound and luminance levels will be recorded at 1 s epochs via Extech SDL600 and SDL400 monitoring devices. Clinical interactions will be logged via the electronic patient record system Metavision which documents patient monitoring and clinical care. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The relevant institutions have approved the study protocol and consent procedures. The findings of the study will contribute to the understanding of sleep disturbance, and the ability to implement sleep monitoring methods within ICUs. Understanding the contribution of a clinical environment on sleep disturbance may provide insight into the need to address clinical environmental issues that may positively influence patient outcomes, and could dispel notions that the environment is a primary factor in sleep disturbance. The research findings will be disseminated via presentations at national and international conferences, proceedings and published articles in peer-reviewed journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN12615000945527; Pre-results.

The nocturnal acoustical intensity of the intensive care environment: an observational study.

BACKGROUND: The intensive care unit (ICU) environment exposes patients to noise levels that may result in substantial sleep disruption. There is a need to accurately describe the intensity pattern and source of noise in the ICU in order to develop effective sound abatement strategies. The objectives of this study were to determine nocturnal noise levels and their variability and the related sources of noise within an Australian tertiary ICU. METHODS: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in a 24-bed open-plan ICU. Sound levels were recorded overnight during three nights at 5-s epochs using Extech (SDL 600) sound monitors. Noise sources were concurrently logged by two research assistants. RESULTS: The mean recorded ambient noise level in the ICU was 52.85 decibels (dB) (standard deviation (SD) 5.89), with a maximum noise recording at 98.3 dB (A). All recorded measurements exceeded the WHO recommendations. Noise variability per minute ranged from 9.9 to 44 dB (A), with peak noise levels >70 dB (A) occurring 10 times/hour (SD 11.4). Staff were identified as the most common source accounting for 35% of all noise. Mean noise levels in single-patient rooms compared with open-bed areas were 53.5 vs 53 dB (p = 0.37), respectively. CONCLUSION: Mean noise levels exceeded those recommended by the WHO resulting in an acoustical intensity of 193 times greater than the recommended and demonstrated a high degree of unpredictable variability, with the primary noise sources coming from staff conversations. The lack of protective effects of single rooms and the contributing effects that staffs have on noise levels are important factors when considering sound abatement strategies.

Sleeping on a problem: the impact of sleep disturbance on intensive care patients - a clinical review.

Sleep disturbance is commonly encountered amongst intensive care patients and has significant psychophysiological effects, which protract recovery and increases mortality. Bio-physiological monitoring of intensive care patients reveal alterations in sleep architecture, with reduced sleep quality and continuity. The etiological causes of sleep disturbance are considered to be multifactorial, although environmental stressors namely, noise, light and clinical care interactions have been frequently cited in both subjective and objective studies. As a result, interventions are targeted towards modifiable factors to ameliorate their impact. This paper reviews normal sleep physiology and the impact that sleep disturbance has on patient psychophysiological recovery, and the contribution that the clinical environment has on intensive care patients' sleep.

Unfolding case studies in pre-registration nursing education: lessons learned.

Nursing education is undergoing radical change worldwide. There is criticism surrounding the content of education and the delivery. As a result, traditional methods of teaching and learning have been replaced by strategies that place greater emphasis on active learner interaction, critical thinking, and decision-making. Assisting pre-registration nurses to become competent and confident in clinical practice requires immersion in practice with sufficient support and coaching based on real life scenarios. Simulation via an unfolding case study approach is one way to provide interactive learning experiences where students acquire new skills that advance their clinical judgment with the aim of becoming safe, competent practitioners. Lessons learned from implementing an unfolding case study are discussed in this paper.