A systematic integrative review of parents' experience and perception of sleep when they stay overnight in the hospital together with their sick children

Abstract

Aims and objectives To elucidate knowledge available on parents' experience and perception of sleep when they stay overnight in hospital together with their sick children. Background In Nordic countries, children are entitled to have at least one parent with them during hospitalisation. Parents' sleep, when accommodated at the hospital during the child's admission, may be a challenge. Design A systematic literature search was conducted in EMBASE, MEDLINE and PsycINFO; period is restricted from 1 January 2007 to 1 April 2019. Studies included were those in which parents were accommodated in hospital with their child, 0–18 years of age, for at least one night. Original peer‐reviewed scientific research papers conducting qualitative, quantitative or mixed designs were included. Systematic reviews were not included. This systematic integrative review was registered in PROSPERO and performed according to the PRISMA guidelines. All authors participated in study selection, data extraction and quality assessment of the literature. Results Fifteen studies were included, and they varied in terms of origin, aims, design, methods used and sample size. Three overall main themes appeared: sleep quality, factors affecting sleep and consequences of sleep loss. Combined psychological factors were found to affect parents' sleep, as well as isolated psychological factors, for example, stress, anxiety, worries and difficult thoughts. Environmental and social factors were also identified, for example, privacy and caring for family. Conclusion Study of this subject is still in its exploratory phase. There is a need for the development of theory of substance in the clarification of the meaning of sleep among parents during difficult times such as children's hospitalisation. Relevance to clinical practice Understanding risk factors associated with sleep and sleep deprivation in parents staying overnight in the hospital with their sick child is important, since lack of sleep may lead to serious stress‐related outcomes for the parents.

Health problems experienced by parents of children in long-term hospital stay

“…Accounting for the organizational factors, parents mentioned bureaucracy as an aspect that could develop stress and frustration even before time of admission. Løyland et al, (2020) validates these findings as they declare that the cohabiting with others, lack of privacy, noise and light when trying to sleep, disruptions due to treatments and child related and family factors affect parents' sleeping patterns. Sleep quality is also jeopardized when parents describe the shortage of healthcare providers as a potential risk for patient safety.…”

Participação do paciente na adesão à higiene das mãos pelos profissionais de saúde: revisão integrativa

“…This type of study articulates information from theoretical and empirical literature, in addition to integrating several purposes, such as definition of concepts, review of theories and investigation of methodological problems of a specific topic. 12,13,14 The integrative review analyzes the current knowledge on a specific topic, being designed to identify, analyze and synthesize results of different studies on the same topic, aiming at the quality of care provided to patients. 15 This study design is composed of six phases: 1) selection of research hypothesis or question ; 2) search strategy (establishment of inclusion and exclusion criteria, database and selection of studies); 3) categorization of studies (extraction, organization and summarization of data); 4) assessment of studies included in the review; 5) interpretation of results; and 6) synthesis of knowledge.…”

Parental sleep when their child is sick: A phased principle‐based concept analysis

“…An integrative review on parents' experiences of sleep when they stay overnight with their hospitalised child supports the need to clarify the meaning of sleep among parents (Løyland et al, 2019).…”

“…in the literature without a precise definition (Løyland et al, 2019) and is an area that requires further consideration (Angelhoff et al, 2017;Mörelius & Hemmingsson, 2013).…”

“…Despite the impact that parental sleep can have on the parents themselves, the sick child, and the whole family, parental sleep when their child is sick is a fairly recent research area that requires more attention (Angelhoff et al, 2017 ; Mörelius & Hemmingsson, 2013 ). An integrative review on parents' experiences of sleep when they stay overnight with their hospitalised child supports the need to clarify the meaning of sleep among parents (Løyland et al, 2019 ). Considering the growing literature in this field, it is important to define a common language to use when performing research in this area.…”