Evaluation of Sleep Hygiene Checklist for Delirium in an Intensive Care Unit

Abstract Problem: Delirium is a severe complication brought on by sleep deprivation that could increase mortality and prolong intensive care unit (ICU) stays in critically ill patients. This project aimed to develop and implement a sleep hygiene checklist to decrease the incidence of delirium in a Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU). Methods: This study used a pre-post design to compare the incidence of delirium pre-and post-implementation of the sleep hygiene checklist. Forty-four patients and thirty-six patients were recruited for the pre-and post-intervention groups, respectively. Results: The result of this study demonstrated use of a sleep hygiene checklist could decrease the incidence of delirium by 9% over a one-month period of time. In addition, this study also suggested that patients with cardiac arrest, respiratory failure, COPD exacerbation, drug overdose, alcohol withdrawal, neurological disorder/seizure/stroke, and septic shock were more likely to develop delirium, as well as those requiring intubation. Implications for Practice: This study provides a reliable basis for continuing the use of the sleep hygiene checklist for patients in ICU. It also helps clinicians to anticipate the development of delirium better, thereby providing early intervention and ultimately improving health care outcomes