Evaluation of Sleep Quality of Hospitalized Patients in Intensive Care Units With Myocardial Infarction: A Mixed Method Study

BACKGROUND: Assessing sleep quality in detail is of critical importance, as sleep disturbances in myocardial infarction survivors not only impair quality of life but may also influence recurrence risk and overall prognosis. AIM: This study was planned to evaluate the sleep quality of patients with Myocardial Infarction hospitalized in the intensive care unit. STUDY DESIGN: An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was used. In the quantitative phase, a cross-sectional design was utilized, while the qualitative phase was conducted using a descriptive approach. The study's quantitative and qualitative components were carried out with patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit between June 01 and October 01, 2023. The Patient Information Form, Richard Campbell Sleep Questionnaire, and Semi-structured Interview Form were data collection tools. Descriptive statistics, normality tests, and the Mann-Whitney U test were used to analyze the quantitative data, and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated to determine the scale's reliability. In the qualitative phase, content analysis was employed. Reported according to STROBE and COREQ. RESULTS: The median Richard Campbell Sleep Questionnaire score was 66.6 (IQR = 25.83-78.33). The quantitative analyses did not reveal any statistically significant associations. Three main themes were identified in the qualitative section. These themes are "poor sleep quality", "normal sleep quality", and "good sleep quality". CONCLUSIONS: The qualitative phase of the study shed light on the 'why' behind the quantitative findings. Overall, patients with poor sleep quality were influenced by multiple factors, those with normal sleep quality focused on specific needs, and good sleepers reported consistently high sleep quality both in the Intensive Care Unit and daily life. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: For quality sleep in intensive care units, nurses should provide noise control, increase patients' privacy, and make arrangements to enable them to maintain their sleep habits.