White Noise to Improve Sleep in the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU): a Pilot and Feasibility Study

White Noise to Improve Sleep in the MICU: a Pilot and Feasibility Study

A feasibility study to evaluate the use of white noise to improve sleeping conditions in an ICU setting.

The ICU is full of alarms and critically ill patients, so it is no surprise that sleep is very much fragmented and poor in this setting, as documented in numerous studies. White noise is a simple intervention that has been shown to improve sleep, including in the ICU setting. The aim is to conduct a pilot trial evaluating the feasibility of providing white noise to patients in the ICU at night to help improve sleep. The plan to measure feasibility metrics including patient acceptance, patient tolerance, and intervention fidelity; also to seek feedback from patients, nurses, and providers. Secondly is to evaluate the benefits of providing white noise at night in the ICU on sleep as measured by actigraphy and Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaires and total room sound.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adults >18yo admitted to MICU with expected stay of at least two nights after enrollment

Exclusion Criteria:

• Excluding intubated patients (so communication can be better) and patients on high-flow nasal cannula (which is already high background noise).
• Patients who are on therapeutic hypothermia or are on comfort measures only will also be excluded