SleepSure: A Trial to Assess the Effects of Eye Masks and Earplugs on Hospital Inpatient Sleep

Sleep Clinical Trial

Official title: SleepSure: A Randomised Controlled Trial to Assess the Effects of Eye Masks and Earplugs on Hospital Inpatient Sleep

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

The aim of this study is to determine whether routinely providing patients admitted to hospital with two devices to help sleep - ear plugs, and an eyeshade - leads to patients having a better quality of sleep and/or longer, more satisfying sleep.

Clinical Trial Description

This is a prospective, investigator blinded, randomised controlled study involving all patients admitted to any of ten acute wards in a large, busy hospital serving both the local population of about 700,000 people and a wider area for specialist services.

Patients will be identified at the time of admission and recruited as soon as possible by nursing and medical staff involved in the admission process. The primary exclusion criterion is some obvious reason that using the equipment is not possible (e.g. allergy to materials used).

After gaining consent, from the patient, or assent from a relative if the person is unable to consent at the time, the patient will be registered and allocated a number. Each ward will have prefilled envelopes with a randomly determined group allocation within it, and after registration this will be opened to determine the patient's group. Each patient will be given a short information leaflet and consent form.

Patients allocated to the intervention will be given the ear plugs and eye mask (in a plastic wallet, with instructions) and will be informed about their use.

On the next morning (i.e. after the first night in hospital) the patient will be approached and asked if he or she agrees to provide outcome information. Specifically patients who were unable to give consent initially (or do not recall doing so) will have the project explained again.

Provided the patient agrees, he or she will be given a SleepSure questionnaire to answer (with help if needed); this asks about quality and quantity of sleep, and use of aids to sleep.

After discharge a researcher will also extract from the patient's clinical record (which is on computer, not paper) information such as length of stay and use of night sedation (zopiclone). Basic demographic data will be extracted, and the hospital's incident reporting system (also on computer) will be checked to identify any falls.

All data will be recorded on a computerised data-base, anonymously, and the primary analysis will be a comparison of the two groups in terms of sleep quality, with secondary analyses investigating differences in rate of recorded falls, total amount of sleep medication used during hospital stay, and length of stay ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Sleep

• NCT number: NCT02732912
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 3
• Start date: November 25, 2016
• Completion date: February 13, 2017