Comparing the sleep-wake cycle, sleep quality, and sleep-related complaints of patients in a private general hospital to
those patients in a public general hospital
Methods: Transversal study conducted with a sample comprising 50 patients in a public hospital and 42 patients in a private hospital.
Protocols: Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Questionnaire on Sleep Habits and medical records. The Student’s t-Test was utilized for
independent samples and for Person’s correlation.
Results: The sleep quality averages for patients in the private hospital and in the public hospital were 5.3 ± 2.9 and 7.04 ± 4.2,
respectively, with a significant difference between them (t = 2.2; p < 0.05). Overall, 74% of patients in the public hospital and 69% of
patients in the private hospital showed excessive daily sleepiness. Disturbed sleep during the night for medication was the most frequent
complaint in relation to the hospital environment. Only a few complaints were made by patients, and the ones that were reported were
seldom acted on by the health care professionals.
Conclusions: Environmental and individual factors should be considered in the etiology, predisposition and maintenance of sleep
disturbances in patients treated in general hospitals.