RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Although sleep problems are a frequent complaint of ill and older adults, there is no ready source of continually updated scientific knowledge about sleep promotion interventions used by nurses. OBJECTIVES: To create a database of sleep promotion research and to describe the nature and strength of studies about nursing interventions used to promote sleep in adults. METHODS: Computer, hand, ancestry, and author searches were used to identify nursing and related-discipline studies of sleep promotion in adults. An experimental software program, arcs, was used to store, retrieve, examine, and summarize sleep research findings. RESULTS: Twelve interventions within the basic scope of nursing practice were identified. All were nonpharmacologic. Interventions were grouped according to their presumed mechanism of action: 1) to relax the sleeper, 2) to manage noise, 3) to re-pattern the sleep-wake schedule, or 4) to inform the sleeper about sleep hygiene. CONCLUSIONS: The research base underpinning sleep promotion practices in nursing is sparse. The use of relaxation approaches to promote sleep in those with chronic insomnia has the most support. Extensive research involving other interventions and populations is needed. As more studies become available, they can be added to the computer database, thus facilitating dissemination of scientific knowledge to guide nursing practice.
Asunto(s)
Bases de Datos Factuales , Atención de Enfermería , Investigación en Enfermería/métodos , Sueño , Adulto , Sistemas de Computación , Humanos , Reproducibilidad de los ResultadosRESUMEN
Ready access to research results is essential if nurses are to keep current with the scientific knowledge available to guide practice. Sigma Theta Tau International has supported the development of a software system that facilitates ongoing storage of information from research reports and can be used to gain online access to continually updated databases of research results called "knowledgebases." One such experimental knowledgebase, the Sleep Promotion Knowledgebase, includes studies of correlates of poor sleep in adults as well as sleep interventions and outcomes. The authors describe the creation of the Sleep Promotion Knowledgebase using arcs BUILDER to store information about research reports and the scientific findings they contain. The use of arcs MAPPER to examine sleep promotion interventions also is described. The strengths and limitations of the software system are identified, and the potential uses of arcs to disseminate sleep research results are discussed.