Perspective: leveraging the electronic health record to improve sleep in the hospital

Abstract

Inpatient sleep loss can worsen health outcomes, including delirium and falls. Sleep disruptions in the hospital often originate from provider-patient interactions ordered electronically through computerized provider order entry. These orders contain clinical decision support systems with default schedules. These defaults are often around-the-clock, may not align with patients’ needs, and cause iatrogenic sleep loss. Optimizing clinical decision support in the electronic health record can decrease unnecessary sleep disruptions and influence sleep-friendly decision-making.