Ear Plug and Eye Mask Use on Sleep Quality in Intensive Care Patients

This study was conducted as a pre-test and post-test randomized controlled single center study to evaluate the effect of ear plugs and eye mask application on sleep quality in patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit. 120 patients who received inpatient treatment in Siirt State Hospital general intensive care unit constitute the sample of the study. The sample consist of four groups: ear plug group (n=30), eye mask group (n=30), earplug-eye mask group (n=30) and control group (n=30). Data were collected using the "Patient Identification Form, Glasgow Coma Skale, Visual Analog Scale, Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ), ear plug and eye mask". As a preliminary test, RCSQ was applied in the morning of the second day after the first night sleep of the patients. Then, according to the group they were assigned to, the patients were allowed to sleep by applying only ear plug, eye mask only and simultaneous ear plug-eye mask between 22:00-06:00. As a final test, RCSQ was readministered to patients on the morning of the third day after the second night's sleep. During the analysis of the data, frequency, number, mean, Student t test and/or Mann- Whitney U test, ANOVA and/or Kruskal- Wallis test, t test or Wilcoxon Sign test, chi-square test were used.