![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Patients at higher risk for delirium include patients being treated for stroke, traumatic brain injury, or those with multiple new medications. 17Īlthough effective, the long-term use of BzRAs should be minimized, if possible, due to risks associated with this type of use in the elderly or patients considered high risk for delirium. Compared to surgical patients, medical patients typically receive less procedural care during the night such as venipuncture, vital sign monitoring, or dressing changes. Postoperatively, however, this higher level of care was shown to decrease as the length of stay increased. In addition, the use of sedative hypnotics in medical patients at night increased relative to surgical patients. 13 Trammer and colleagues found that, overall, surgical and intensive-care unit patients tend to receive more procedures and/or nursing care during the night. 13, 16 In addition to these factors, other patients, hospital staff and visitors may contribute to the noise level. 13, 16 The temperature of the room may be too hot or too cold for the patient to get comfortable. Lighting in the inpatient area or lights from the medical equipment may prove to be a challenge and interfere with the body's natural ability to sleep well. Equipment and monitors designed to assess patients' clinical status may make it difficult to fall asleep with their beeping noises and alerts. In particular, noise levels and lighting are a concern in the inpatient setting. Numerous barriers exist and may impede one's ability to get a restful night's sleep while being cared for in a hospital or medical intensive care unit. The hospital setting itself is not an environment which is conducive for sleep. ![]()
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