Sleep quality during hospitalization in critically ill cancer patients in Sri Lanka.

INTRODUCTION: : Sleep is vital for physical, psychological, emotional, and cognitive well-being. Cancer becomes life-threatening once it affects major organs and their ability to function. Sleep disturbance is one of the most common complaints in patients with cancer which interferes with the symptom burden, coping ability, and treatment effectiveness. Current study aimed to assess sleep quality and its associated factors among critically ill cancer patients who were admitted to the Apeksha Hospital, Sri Lanka. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 384 patients with cancer, who were admitted to Apeksha Hospital. Pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Sleep quality was classified as good (Global PSQI score ≤5) and poor (Global PSQI score >5). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and associations between categorical variables were assessed by performing a Chi-square test. IBM SPSS Version 26 was used as the analytical tool. RESULTS: Of 384 patients with cancer, 58.9% (n=226) were females. Most of the patients (78.4%, n=301) were adults (25-64 years), and 63.0% (n=242) were married. Breast cancers (20.1%), blood cancers (19.3%), and ovarian cancers [13.8%) were the most common cancers reported by the study participants. The mean Global PSQI score was 10.27±3.48 (range 3-20) and 95.3% of the participants were categorized as having poor sleep quality. Age (p=0.002), income (p=0.050), engaging in leisure time activities (p=0.036), social media use (p=0.022), and fatigue (p=0.012), and level of pain (p<0.001) were significantly associated with the sleep quality of patients with cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Poor sleep quality is highly prevalent among patients with cancer and evidence-based interventions should be implemented to improve sleep quality.