sleep, hospitalized patients, nurses, qualitative study,

Aim: To find out the experience of nurses with saturation of sleep needs of hospitalized patients, to find the attitudes of nurses to interventions promoting sleep and, at the same time, to describe the personal experiences of patients with sleep in hospital. Design: Qualitative study - thematic analysis Methods: Data were obtained by group interviews from three focus groups (May – June 2022). The two focus groups consisted of sixteen nurses, and the third focus group consisted of eight patients. Interviews were recorded and data were analyzed by thematic content analysis. The data was converted into text, analyzed, and coded using the text coloring method, and the main categories were identified. Results: The nurses expressed a desire and conviction to work in a way that more promotes patient sleep during hospitalization. At the same time, they stated that the hospital's sleep pattern is not very friendly. In addition, their ability to effectively support the need for sleep through nonpharmacological strategies encounters a lack of knowledge about sleep, and therefore hypnotics still predominate as the first choice. Nurses emphasized the importance of sleep for patients, and much higher priority was given to this area. From their experience, patients report that their sleep is affected by the interaction of several indicators, which can be classified into three interconnected categories: (1) experiencing complex interactions with the environment (nursing activities, scary or disturbing sounds, neighbor in the room, heat, drafts); (2) experiencing intense emotions and feelings (fear / anxiety; a state of abandonment; uncertainty about what will happen; inability to function) and (3) a basic state (associated illness and the presence of pain).