Factors associated with sleep quality during chemotherapy: An integrative review

Abstract

Aim: To identify the most important factors associated with sleep pattern changes in patients with cancer during chemotherapy treatment.

Design: An integrative review of the literature was performed between December 2017-August 2018.

Methods: Two independent reviewers searching the National Library of Medicine (PubMed/MEDLINE), Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS), Scopus and Scielo. The process followed the recommendations of the PRISMA tool. A total of 16 articles were selected for the final study sample, including 11 cohort studies and 5 cross-sectional studies.

Results: The predisposing factors for the most prevalent sleep disturbances were precipitants related to the disease and the treatment, such as fatigue, pain, depression, anxiety and distress. Predisposing factors related to lifestyle and demographic characteristics have a significant correlation with sleep disturbances.

Keywords: cancer; chemotherapy; nurses; nursing; predisposing factors; sleep quality.