Prevalence of Sleep Aid Medication Use in Patients Receiving a Hematopoietic Cell Transplant on an Inpatient Unit

Background and objectives:
There is a lack of research regarding the use of sleep aids after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT). We describe the prevalence of sleep aid administration in the HCT unit and identify associations with patient or clinical characteristics.


Patients and methods:
In this retrospective analysis of sequential inpatient HCTs from July 1 to December 31, 2016 we describe whether and when patients were prescribed sleep aid medications. Chi-square tests determined significant differences between patient characteristics, sleep aid prescription, and time of prescription.


Results:
Of the 225 patients identified, 193 (86%) were prescribed sleep aids. Significantly more women received prescriptions for sleep aids (90.4%) than men (81%; P = .047). One hundred patients (44%) received prescriptions exclusively while in the hospital.


Conclusion:
Findings show a high prevalence of sleep medication use in patients undergoing inpatient HCT, primarily during hospitalization. Future efforts toward standardized recommendations to optimize peri-transplant sleep would help clinicians and patients.