Development and palliative care staff reactions to a sleep regulation educational intervention

Abstract

Background In palliative care, sleep and circadian rhythm problems are common symptoms. Nonpharmacological interventions are available; however, health care providers are not aware of these or lack the knowledge to effectively implement in practice. This study reports the content and design development of the PRIME™ (Program for Improving & Managing Environments for Sleep) sleep online educational intervention as well as the evaluation of the intervention by practicing nurses with a focus on perceived acceptability and satisfaction. Methods Development of the education employed a multi-step process that assesses the current state of the science in this area (literature reviews), the needs of regional target recipients (hospice/palliative care staff), expert recommendations and views of a national pool of hospice/palliative workers. A cross-sectional, descriptive study with key staff informants evaluated the acceptability and usability of the modules using both scale-response items to rate the content and design of the modules and overall satisfaction and five open-response questions to suggest changes to the educational intervention. Results Among 31 palliative care professionals, most rated the content and design favorably. A total of 20 participants provided suggestions to improve the educational intervention. Their comments were categorized into six themes: Integration into Practice; Content, Exercises and Material Provided by Modules; User Interface and Design; and Adapt and Expand Modules for Public, Family and Caregivers. Conclusions The data suggest that the PRIME™ educational intervention can be an effective tool to train direct-care palliative care professionals on interventions for use in their daily practice. We also demonstrated that the educational intervention is feasible to deliver online and that the online modules appealed to respondents, suggesting that future delivery of the educational intervention can use the same or similar modes of presentation.

A nursing perspective on inpatient sleep and circadian disruptions for pediatric stem cell transplant patients

“…Interventionists have developed educational protocols targeting nurses to improve inpatient sleep. 34 Nurses in our study reported that sleep and circadian issues are at the forefront of their minds during patient care, consistent with other research in which nurses viewed helping patients sleep better as a vital part of their job. 35 Therefore, it is essential that hospitals develop organizational sleep and circadian policies/protocols for pediatric inpatients, including regular assessments of sleep and circadian health.…”

“…Thus, it may be that targeting the hospital environment 33 and/or providers may be a more meaningful path forward. Interventionists have developed educational protocols targeting nurses to improve inpatient sleep 34 . Nurses in our study reported that sleep and circadian issues are at the forefront of their minds during patient care, consistent with other research in which nurses viewed helping patients sleep better as a vital part of their job 35 .…”

Effects of Chronic Oral Administration of Midazolam on Memory and Circadian Rhythms in Rats

“…The drug, however, in the oral form, is also one of the most frequently administered drugs in palliative medicine 2 8 . According to Capezuti et al 9 , two unmanaged problems encountered in palliative care are disruption of sleep and circadian rhythms. A closer correlation between time of drug administration and the circadian rhythm of the sleep/wake cycle of patients would help to alleviate these problems.…”