The Effect of a Sleep Education and Hypnotics Reduction Program on Hypnotics Prescription Rate for the Hospitalized Patients with Cancer at a General Hospital

Abstract

Objective We aimed to investigate whether the sleep education and hypnotics reduction program (the i-sleep program), developed for all hospitalized patients and medical personnel, help reducing the hypnotics prescriptions rate among hospitalized cancer patients in a general hospital. Methods Patient data such as hypnotics prescribed at the time of admission and discharge during prior to (year of 2014) and after (year of 2015) initiation of the i-sleep program were collected and compared. Also, hypnotics prescription rate at the first day of each month of 2014 and 2015 were estimated and compared. Results All of 12,382 patients in 2014 and 12,313 patients in 2015 were admitted to the Department of Oncology of the hospital. In 2014, 782 (6.3%) of 12,382 inpatients were already taking hypnotics at the time of admission, and 594 (76.0%) of the 782 patients were still taking sleeping pills at the time of discharge. Following initiation of the i-sleep program (2015), 792 (6.4%) of 12,313 inpatients were already taking hypnotics at the time of admission, and 553 (69.8%) of the 792 inpatients were still taking them at the time of discharge (relative risk, 0.92; 95% confidence interval, 0.87–0.98). On the first day of each month of 2014, 7.3% to 12.6% (mean, 10.0%) of inpatients had prescriptions for hypnotics. Following initiation of the program, the rate of hypnotic prescription was significantly reduced (3.2–10.8%; mean, 8.0%; p = 0.03). Conclusion Our date showed that the i-sleep program may help to reduce the hypnotic prescription rate in hospitalized cancer patients.