Associations between stressors and difficulty sleeping in critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit: a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) experience sleep disruption caused by a variety of conditions, such as staff activities, alarms on monitors, and overall noise. In this study, we explored the relationship between noise and other factors associated with poor sleep quality in patients. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study. We used the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire to explore sleep quality in a sample of patients admitted to the ICU of a private hospital. We measured the noise levels within each ICU three times a day. After each night during their ICU stay, patients were asked to complete a survey about sleep disturbances. These disturbances were classified as biological (such as anxiety or pain) and environmental factors (such as lighting and ICU noise). RESULTS: We interviewed 71 patients; 62% were men (mean age 54.46 years) and the mean length of stay was 8 days. Biological factors affected 36% and environmental factors affected 20% of the patients. The most common biological factor was anxiety symptoms, which affected 28% of the patients, and the most common environmental factor was noise, which affected 32.4%. The overall mean recorded noise level was 62.45 dB. Based on the patients' responses, the environmental factors had a larger effect on patients' sleep quality than biological factors. Patients who stayed more than 5 days reported less sleep disturbance. Patients younger than 55 years were more affected by environmental and biological factors than were those older than 55 years. CONCLUSIONS: Patient quality of sleep in the ICU is associated with environmental factors such as noise and artificial lighting, as well as biological factors related to anxiety and pain. The noise level in the ICU is twice that recommended by international guides. Given the stronger influence of environmental factors, the use of earplugs or sleeping masks is recommended. The longer the hospital stay, the less these factors seem to affect patients' sleep quality.

Quality of life among women treated for breast cancer: a survey of three procedures in Mexico.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the quality of life among patients treated with one of three different types of surgery for breast cancer. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used a questionnaire survey completed by Mexican patients without active disease 1 year after breast cancer surgery. RESULTS: The 139 patients enrolled in the study included 44 (31.6 %) who had undergone mastectomy with reconstruction, 41 (29.5 %) who had undergone a quadrantectomy, and 54 (38.9 %) who had undergone radical mastectomy without reconstruction. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire, core version 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and EORTC Breast Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (QLQ-BR23) questionnaires were used. These instruments had a reliability greater than 0.82. Global health status (94.30 ± 12.04; p = 0.028) and role functioning (85.16 ± 17.23; p = 0.138) were highest in the quadrantectomy group. The pain score was highest in the group that had received mastectomy with reconstruction (26.13 ± 30.15; p = 0.042). The breast symptom score (22.56 ± 22.30; p = 0.009) and body image perception (85.56 ± 19.72; p = 0.025) were highest in the group that had conservative treatment. The overall health of the patients who had undergone mastectomy without reconstruction was lower (72.61 ± 20.89; p = 0.014) among the women older than 50 years than among the younger women. CONCLUSIONS: The quadrantectomy procedure had better acceptance, but the overall health status did not differ between the groups. The overall health status was lower among the women older than 50 years who had received a mastectomy without reconstruction.

Burnout syndrome prevalence during internship in public and private hospitals: a survey study in Mexico.

Burnout syndrome is a psychological condition that commonly affects health professionals, medical students, and others in professions with long shifts. It is defined by a high amount of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low personal job satisfaction. We aimed to determine the prevalence of burnout syndrome in medical interns and establish the relationships between this condition and the time and type of hospital at which students worked during their medical internship. This was a survey study in which we used the Maslach Burnout Inventory, applied to fifth-year medical students on an internship at private and public hospitals in Mexico. The participants were 96 women (54.5%) and 80 men (45.5%), with ages ranging from 21 to 34 years old. We found burnout syndrome in 20% of these medical students 22% of the women and 18.6% of the men in the sample. Second-semester interns suffered burnout at a rate of 29%, in contrast to 15% of first-semester students. Emotional exhaustion and depersonalization scores were higher in second-semester interns who worked in public hospitals. However, the prevalence did not differ between public and private hospitals. Our study reports a higher prevalence of burnout syndrome during the second semester of internship. Students who practiced their internship in a public hospital showed higher scores in emotional exhaustion and depersonalization than those who practiced in a private hospital.