Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify factors influencing sleep quality and examine the correlation between sleep quality and ward noise exposure levels in postoperative urological patients. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted by analysing clinical data from 182 patients who underwent urological surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine between January 2021 and December 2024. The participants were stratified into two groups according to their average postoperative Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) scores: poor sleep quality group (PSQ, AIS > 6) and good sleep quality group (GSQ, AIS ≤ 6). Comparative analysis of clinical variables was performed, with multivariate logistic regression employed to identify the risk factors for poor sleep quality. Correlation between sleep quality and ward noise exposure levels was assessed using Pearson's correlation analysis. RESULTS: Among the 182 postoperative urological patients, 82 and 100 were categorised into the PSQ and GSQ groups, respectively. The overall mean ward noise exposure level was 61.55 ± 7.75 dB, and the mean AIS score was 6.74 ± 1.65. The PSQ group showed significantly higher AIS scores, noise exposure levels, age, rates of not placed intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV-PCA) catheters, postoperative length of stay (PLOS) and anxiety/depression scores than the GSQ group (all P < 0.05). No other baseline characteristics differed significantly. Multivariate logistic regression confirmed age, IV-PCA retention, PLOS, anxiety/depression score and noise exposure as significant predictors of sleep quality, with noise exposure being the strongest independent predictor (OR > 1, P < 0.05). A significant positive correlation existed between AIS score and noise levels (r > 0, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Postoperative sleep quality in patients who underwent urological surgery requires improvement and is significantly correlated with ward noise exposure.