Evaluation of sleep health documentation and sleep‐related intervention by physiatrists treating musculoskeletal disorders: A retrospective investigation

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundSleep health is linked to pain, function, and global health. Unfortunately, sleep health may not be consistently addressed as a part of musculoskeletal care.ObjectiveTo describe the frequency of sleep health documentation and intervention by musculoskeletal physiatrists. Additionally, patient‐reported outcome measures were compared between patients with and without sleep impairment. We hypothesized that sleep health is documented and addressed in less than half of initial patient encounters and that patients with a sleep impairment have worse patient‐reported outcomes scores compared to those without sleep impairment.DesignRetrospective study.SettingTertiary orthopedic hospital.InterventionsNone.Main Outcome MeasuresFrequency of provider documentation of sleep health, frequency and characteristics of sleep health intervention provided, and Patient‐Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS)‐10 mental health and physical health scores.ResultsInitial visits for a musculoskeletal condition of 39,452 patients from January 1, 2020 to October 1, 2022 were included. Documentation of sleep health was found in 33.0% (13,002/39,452) of patients. Of those with sleep health documentation, 59.2% (7697/13,002) were classified as having a sleep impairment. Only 19.0% of patients were provided with sleep‐related education or other intervention. Patients with a sleep impairment had worse PROMIS‐10 mental health and physical health scores (p < .001), as compared to those without a sleep impairment.ConclusionsPatients with sleep impairment had worse mental and physical health scores than those without sleep impairment, and only 19.0% received sleep health intervention. These data suggest that sleep impairment is common in patients presenting for evaluation of a musculoskeletal condition, and advanced provider education and tools to help patients improve their sleep health are needed.