Nurse-delivered Sleep Restriction Therapy in Primary Care for Adults with Insomnia Disorder: a Mixed-methods Process Evaluation

Overview

Journal Br J Gen Pract

Specialty Public Health

Date 2023 Dec 28

PMID 38154945

Authors

Stephanie Armstrong

Julie Pattinson

Aloysius Niroshan Siriwardena

Simon D Kyle

Peter Bower

Ly-Mee Yu

Yaling Yang

Emma Ogburn

Nargis Begum

Leonie Maurer

Barbara Robinson

Caroline Gardner

Victoria Lee

Dimitri Gavriloff

Colin A Espie

Paul Aveyard

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Sleep restriction therapy (SRT) is a behavioural therapy for insomnia.

Aim: To conduct a process evaluation of a randomised controlled trial comparing SRT delivered by primary care nurses plus a sleep hygiene booklet with the sleep hygiene booklet only for adults with insomnia disorder.

Design And Setting: A mixed-methods process evaluation in a general practice setting.

Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted in a purposive sample of patients receiving SRT, the practice nurses who delivered the therapy, and also GPs or practice managers at the participating practices. Qualitative data were explored using framework analysis, and integrated with nurse comments and quantitative data, including baseline Insomnia Severity Index score and serial sleep efficiency outcomes to investigate the relationships between these.

Results: In total, 16 patients, 13 nurses, six practice managers, and one GP were interviewed. Patients had no previous experience of behavioural therapy, needed flexible appointment times, and preferred face-to-face consultations; nurses felt prepared to deliver SRT, accommodating patient concerns, tailoring therapy, and negotiating sleep timings despite treatment complexity and delays between training and intervention delivery. How the intervention produced change was explored, including patient and nurse interactions and patient responses to SRT. Difficulties maintaining SRT, negative attitudes towards treatment, and low self-efficacy were highlighted. Contextual factors, including freeing GP time, time constraints, and conflicting priorities for nurses, with suggestions for alternative delivery options, were raised. Participants who found SRT a positive process showed improvements in sleep efficiency, whereas those who struggled did not.

Conclusion: SRT was successfully delivered by practice nurses and was generally well received by patients, despite some difficulties delivering and applying the intervention in practice.

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