Date of this Version

11-28-2023

Document Type

DNP Project

Abstract

Sleep hygiene plays a critical role in the cognitive, emotional, and physical development of a child. Sleep disturbances can negatively impact development and increase poor mental health outcomes for the pediatric population. Research evidence suggests children with psychiatric and behavioral diagnoses have a heightened risk for sleep disorders compared to the general pediatric population. With this bidirectional relationship between sleep disorders and psychiatric illnesses, pediatric psychiatric providers should address sleep disturbances along with mental health care to address the behavioral component and overall promote optimal care. However, literature highlights that providers receive limited training in sleep disorders. This quality improvement project aimed to assess the knowledge of pediatric psychiatric providers in managing sleep disorders. This project utilized a quasi-experimental pretest posttest study design with an in-person educational intervention in-between. Participants were providers recruited via secure email from a psychiatric outpatient clinic in Indianapolis, IN. Data was collected through pretest and posttest surveys via Qualtrics. Pretest and posttest questions addressed diagnosis and treatment of common sleep disorders associated with pediatric psychiatric illnesses. Ten participants completed the project. The data was analyzed via descriptive statistics and a paired t-test. There was an overall knowledge improvement of 20% and a paired t-test showed statistical significance between the pretest and posttest. The result of this quality improvement project exemplified the effectiveness of an educational intervention in improving pediatric psychiatric provider knowledge of managing sleep disorders. Ultimately, continuing education for psychiatric providers in sleep disorder management can enhance knowledge and promote comprehensive care.

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