Effects of a Sleep-Promoting Program on Sleep Quality among Older Patients at Special Medical Ward Chaloemphrakiat 9 th Floor Chaiyaphum Hospital: A Program Development and Pilot Study

The purposes of this study were to develop and conduct a feasibility test on effects of a sleep-promoting program on sleep quality among older patients at special medical ward Chaloemphrakiat 9 th floor Chaiyaphum Hospital. Methodology: This study was divided into two phases. In phase I, a sleep-promoting program for older patients in hospital was developed based on a systematic review of 13 empirical articles and the context of the special medical ward Chaloemphrakiat 9 th floor Chaiyaphum Hospital was also applied. The feasibility of the program was evaluated by a medical doctor and registered nurses who are experts in sleep managements and interventions. In phase II, this sleep program was piloted among 10 older patients at special medical ward Chaloemphrakiat 9 th floor Chaiyaphum Hospital for five days. Results: The sleep program was evaluated by a medical doctor and four registered nurses. They confirmed that this program was suitable to be used to promote sleep for older patients admitted to hospital. However, minor adjustments to justify volume of drinks and time of activity in the program were needed, volume of drinks was increased and time of activities was shortened. Finally, there was 100% agreement and the pilot study in 10 hospitalized older patents showed that after participating in the program, patients' sleep quality scores were better (Mdn = 111.50) than before participating in the program (Mdn = 61.50). A Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated that this difference was statistically significant, Z = -2.80 p = .005. Conclusion: The sleep promoting program was high feasibility to use to promote sleep quality among hospitalized older patients. However, to confirm the effectiveness of the program, well-designed study with larger sample size were needed for further study