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To assess sleep quality of patients on a rehabilitation ward and to identify staff practices and beliefs about management of sleep disturbance.

Mixed-methods design including patient surveys and staff interviews.

Inpatient rehabilitation ward in a tertiary teaching hospital in Adelaide, Australia.

Of the 345 screened inpatients who had been in a mixed post-acute rehabilitation ward for at least 5 days, 120 (43% women) were included. The mean age was 67.7 years and the main admission reason was functional decline (40%). Patients with stroke or traumatic brain injury were excluded. Eleven (n = 11) staff (a mix of doctors, nurses, and allied health) were interviewed.

The surveys comprised of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the Flinders Fatigue Scale, and the Sleep Inertia Questionnaire. The survey results were compared with …