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Sleep in family caregivers of patients admitted to hospice: A pilot study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 August 2013

Anners Lerdal ,
Caryl L. Gay ,
Elisabeth Saghaug ,
Kaare Gautvik ,
Ellen Karine Grov ,
Are Normann ,
Joran Slaaen ,
Kari Slåtten ,
Oddveig Utheim Tallang  and
Kathryn A. Lee
Anners Lerdal*
Affiliation:
Lovisenberg Diakonale Hospital, Oslo, Norway Department of Nursing Science, Institute of Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Caryl L. Gay
Affiliation:
Lovisenberg Diakonale Hospital, Oslo, Norway Lovisenberg Diakonale University College, Oslo, Norway Department of Family Health Care Nursing, School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, California
Elisabeth Saghaug
Affiliation:
Lovisenberg Diakonale Hospital, Oslo, Norway
Kaare Gautvik
Affiliation:
Lovisenberg Diakonale Hospital, Oslo, Norway Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Ellen Karine Grov
Affiliation:
Department of Nursing Science, Institute of Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway Førde University College, Oslo, Norway
Are Normann
Affiliation:
Lovisenberg Diakonale Hospital, Oslo, Norway
Joran Slaaen
Affiliation:
Lovisenberg Diakonale Hospital, Oslo, Norway
Kari Slåtten
Affiliation:
Lovisenberg Diakonale University College, Oslo, Norway
Oddveig Utheim Tallang
Affiliation:
Lovisenberg Diakonale Hospital, Oslo, Norway
Kathryn A. Lee
Affiliation:
Department of Family Health Care Nursing, School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, California
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Anners Lerdal, Lovisenberg Diakonale Hospital, Lovisenberggata 17, No-0440 Oslo, Norway. E-mail: anners.lerdal@medisin.uio.no
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Abstract

Objectives:

Caring for a dying family member is known to interfere with sleep, yet little is known about caregiver sleep once the patient is admitted to hospice. The aim of this pilot study was to describe the sleep of partners and other family caregivers of patients in hospice.

Methods:

The pilot study used a cross-sectional, descriptive, and comparative design. Participants included the primary family caregivers of patients recently admitted to a hospice in Norway. Caregiver sleep during the prior month was measured with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). During the patient's hospice stay, caregiver sleep was measured using wrist actigraphy for four nights and three days.

Results:

Twenty family caregivers (12 partners and 8 other relatives) completed the study protocol without difficulty. On the PSQI, most caregivers (n = 13) reported clinically significant sleep problems during the prior month. Once the patient was admitted to hospice, actigraphy indicated that 10 caregivers had clinically significant sleep disruption (≥15% wake after sleep onset) and six averaged <7 hours of sleep per night. Partner caregivers reported more trouble falling asleep, and less sleep medication use, in the prior month than other types of family caregivers. However, once the patient was admitted to hospice, and after adjusting for caregiver age, partner caregivers experienced less sleep disruption than other caregivers.

Significance of results:

Findings demonstrate feasibility of the study protocol and indicate that sleep problems are common for caregivers of dying patients, even after the patient is admitted to hospice. The caregiver's relationship to the patient may be an important factor to consider in future studies.

Keywords

Family caregiverSleephospice
Type
Original Articles
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 12 , Issue 6 , December 2014 , pp. 439 - 444
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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