Eye masks and earplugs improve patient's perception of sleep

Background: Critical care patients experience deranged sleep for a number of reasons including noise, environment, severity of illness and care activities. This service evaluation was prompted by the concern that patients were not getting enough sleep because of excessive noise levels in our unit. Aim: To determine self-reported sleep experiences and perceived factors affecting sleep quality among intensive care patients before and after the introduction of earplugs and eye masks. Design: A pre/post intervention service evaluation (n = 100) was completed to evaluate the efficacy of eye masks and earplugs in critical care patients. Methods: Participants (n = 100) were recruited from one large critical care unit. During August 2008 to January 2009, 50 patients were recruited and received standard care. A further 50 were recruited between May and October 2009. This group was given eye masks and earplugs to aid their sleep on the critical care unit. A data collection tool was devised comprising three elements: (1) collection of demographic data from hospital charts and medical notes, (2) rating quality and quantity of sleep using two likert scales and (3) a four-item data collection sheet was used comprising of one closed and three open-ended questions. Results: Noise was identified as a significant factor preventing sleep in the pre-intervention (50%) and intervention (52%) group. The pre-intervention group identified medication (26%) (i.e. night sedation or analgesia) and 'simply nothing' (24%) as factors promoting sleep. Conclusion: The intervention group identified earplugs (22%) and eye masks (28%) as factors promoting sleep. It appears that simple interventions such as eye masks and earplugs may be a valuable addition to patients attempting to sleep in a critical care unit. Relevance to clinical practice: Earplugs and eye masks are a useful adjunct to strategies promoting sleep in critical care areas.