Proposing Change
The topic that my team chose to create a dissemination project on was preserving sleep quality while in hospital settings. Many patients state that they have struggles with sleeping in healthcare facilities. There are high levels of stress and anxiety present along with the constant disruptions that can occur throughout the night. Patients are not getting enough sleep in healthcare, and that can affect their health and healing properties. This project was designed to research ways in which sleep can be improved for our patients. We began our project by looking at the complications that can occur with not getting enough sleep. We learned that this could alter cognitive function and puts older adults at a higher risk for delirium.
Our group discovered how focusing on the patient’s sleep hygiene can decrease their risk for other health conditions such as delirium. We can make small changes by following the patient’s regular sleep routine, providing education revolving around sleep hygiene, and providing materials that will make the patient more comfortable at night (such as a fan or earplugs). These are all changes that the nurse can make as an individual and should be fairly low cost to the facility depending on their supply base. This also helps gear a more comforting experience for the patient. Providing more patient-based care for the client will improve the quality of their stay.
The literature that we gathered for this has made me realize how small changes can make impacts for our patients. All hospitals should be implementing techniques on how to pertain to the patient’s sleep hygiene during their stay at a facility. Sleep is an important part of cognitive function and should be seen as a priority in care plans. Our team did not need to revise our topic that we chose. The only changes that we made were edits that pertained to the draft form of the project proposal. We have had great success with finding research studies that revolve around the topic that we want to educate about. This will help us provide context to our need for change. Our team was able to meet virtually, or in person to complete each step of this process as a whole. We have not had any challenges to our team cooperation as of right now. Therefore, we are holding high expectations for one another, and are exhibiting excellent practice of our team building skills.
In the future, I am going to ensure that patients are well educated on their right to have quality sleep while they are in the hospital. I will provide education revolving around the effects of proper sleep hygiene, and I will ask my patients how I can improve the quality of their stay. I will alter my care plan based on the specific needs of the client. I will also find ways to implement evidence-based practice into my practice as research improves with time.
