Sleep quality and sleep disturbing factors of inpatients in a Chinese general hospital

Aims and objective.  This study was undertaken to determine sleep quality and sleep disturbing factors of inpatients and to compare the perception of sleep disturbing factors between nurses and inpatients in a Chinese general hospital.Background.  Sleep aids patients’ recovery. A variety of factors affect inpatients’ sleep quality. Current research on inpatients’ sleep quality in China is limited and narrowly focuses on patients in intensive care units or older patients.Design.  Survey.Methods.  This research was conducted in a Chinese general hospital. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and self‐designed questionnaires were used to examine inpatients’ sleep quality and compare perceptions of sleep disturbing factors between 397 inpatients and 101 nurses. The following statistical methods were used to evaluate the data: chi‐square test, logistic regression analysis and Z statistic.Results.  Patients reported poor sleep quality (45·6%) during hospitalisation and a reduction in sleep quality after hospitalisation (57·4%). The chi‐square and logistic regression analysis showed that the main sleep disturbing factors were worries about illness, discomfort associated with diseases, using the toilet at night and noise from nurses’ shoes. There was a significant difference in the perception of sleep quality and sleep disturbing factors between inpatients and nurses.Conclusion.  This study demonstrates that most inpatients reported sleeping problems stemming from multiple sources. Additionally, there was a significant difference in the perception of sleep disturbing factors between nurses and inpatients.Relevance to clinical practice.  Our survey shows that most nurses are aware of inpatients’ poor sleep quality. However, many patients continue to suffer from poor sleep during hospitalisation because of a wide range of sleep disturbing factors. This suggests that nurses need to be better educated and trained to minimise sleep disturbing factors and improve sleep quality of inpatients.