Authors (including presenting author) :
Chan WW
Affiliation :
Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Prince of Wales Hospital
Introduction :
Sleep is essential for people to stay in good health and for the prevention of disease. It promotes recovery, re-organization, memory enhancement and learning, which are very important for older adults. However, sleep shortage is a common problem among hospitalized patients. Older adults are more easily aroused from sleep by environmental stimuli such as noise or light exposure. Thus, the complaint of insomnia is more frequent in older adults.
Objectives :
This study aims to investigate the effect of the use of eye masks and earplugs on sleep quality of the older adults in an orthopaedic ward.
Methodology :
This study was a randomized control trial. The participants were assigned to experimental group and control group through random allocation by popsicle sticks drawing. Eye masks and earplugs were offered to participants in experimental group on admission. Pre and post intervention evaluation were done to each participants on admission and on discharge. The Chinese version of the Pittsburgh’s Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire was adopted as a measurement of sleep quality. The length of stay (LOS) of the participants was also examined.
Result & Outcome :
Total 66 participants were recruited in the study. The mean differences of PSQI on admission and on discharge in experimental group and control group were -1.99 and +0.6 respectively. The result showed a significant difference between two groups (p< 0.005, Mann-Whitney U test). The mean LOS was 93.8±51.47 (hours) for experimental group and 130.2±44.91 (hours) for control group. There was a statistically significant difference (p=0.02) between two groups. It was easier to change patients' perception than to change patients' environment. By decreasing the external stimuli, these simple, cheap, and accessible devices could be an effective way to improve the comfort and sleep quality of older adults being hospitalized. These simple devices might even decrease LOS which further manifest the cost-effectiveness.
