Knowledge, Attitudes, and Self‑Reported Practices Regarding Sleep‑Focused Delirium Prevention Among ICU Professionals: A Multicenter Survey in Jiangxi, China

Xueting Yao,1 Zonglin Rao,2 Taobin Liu,1 Yi Gao11The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330006, People’s Republic of China; 2Shangrao Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Shangrao City People’s Hospital, Shangrao, Jiangxi, 334000, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yi Gao, Email [email protected]: To apply a knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) framework to assess ICU healthcare professionals’ knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices regarding sleep management as one component of delirium prevention and care in the ICU.Methods: This multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2025 to January 2026 in seven hospitals in Jiangxi Province, China, with ICU healthcare professionals. A self-designed questionnaire on sleep and delirium, developed through literature review, expert review, and pilot testing, was used to collect demographic data and assess KAP.Results: The analysis included 509 questionnaires. The mean scores were 14.07± 2.27 for knowledge (82.8% of the maximum score), 63.38± 6.26 for attitude (90.5%), and 49.52± 8.59 for self-reported practice (82.5%). Knowledge gaps were identified: only 44.8% of participants correctly recognized that delirium is not a chronic mental disorder; uncertainty persisted on several sleep-related items; and 53.6% reported no prior delirium-related training. Knowledge showed a modest positive association with attitude (β=0.099, 95% CI 0.014– 0.185; P=0.023), but knowledge was not associated with self-reported practice (P=0.824 and P=0.260), while attitude was associated with self-reported practice (β=0.528, 95% CI 0.465– 0.591; P< 0.001); those results must be considered cautiously because of model saturation.Conclusion: In this regional, multicenter sample, ICU healthcare professionals reported positive attitudes and relatively high self-reported practice in sleep management for delirium, but important conceptual knowledge gaps and limited training persisted. The findings suggest caution in interpreting high self-reported practice as equivalent to high-fidelity clinical implementation and support the need for targeted education and future studies using more objective measures of practice.Keywords: health-related knowledge, attitudes, practice, sleep, delirium, intensive care unit, healthcare professionals