NURSES NOTES ON SLEEP PATTERNS IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING CORONARY-ARTERYBYPASS-SURGERY - A RETROSPECTIVE EVALUATION OF PATIENT RECORDS

In this study, patient records from 80 male patients, aged 43-76, unde rgoing first-time coronary artery bypass surgery were evaluated with r egard to nurses' documentation on sleep during the first four postoper ative days. This documentation was classified into descriptions of qua lity and quantity of sleep. Notations on sleep were found in 69-86% of patient records each night, and was most common the second night. Des criptions of both quality and quantity of sleep occurred in only 12 ou t of 320 patient-nights. Notes regarding duration of sleep were found for 146 patient-nights (45.6%), of which 103 (32.2%) contained sleep d isturbances. Information on quality of sleep was given for 116 patient -nights (36.3%), with only 38 patient-nights (11.9%) of sleep disturba nces. For 72 patient-nights, documentation of the patients' sleep was lacking. Frequent awakening was the most common sleep disturbance note d during all but the first night, when continuous awakening dominated. We conclude that the nurses' documentation regarding sleep and sleep disturbances varied over a wide range, with a mixture of quantitative and qualitative information, and that more structured descriptions are needed.