Inpatient pharmacological sleep aid utilization is common at a tertiary medical center

Abstract

Despite increasing evidence of risks such as delirium or falls, pharmacological sleep aid use in general wards remains common, even in elderly patients. Medication administration time is frequently suboptimal. Many previously sleep medication-naïve patients leave the hospital with a sleep aid prescription. Further research is needed to understand the factors that contribute to the high rate of sleep medication use in hospitalized patients.