Although sleep is imperative to biological functions and of critical importance in the recovery process from acute illness, hospitalization is far from restful. Almost half of Medicare patients who are hospitalized nationwide state that their room was kept quiet at night.  Our prior work demonstrates that not only are noise levels in hospital rooms far from acceptable, noise levels are associated with greater sleep loss. Furthermore, at the root cause of these sleep disruptions modifiable factors, such as staff conversation and medical care interruptions.  
 
In addition to guarding against ongoing sleep loss in hospitalized patients, hospitalization represents a "missed opportunity" to screen patients for sleep disorders and provide them with education regarding proper sleep hygiene. Given the very high prevalence of sleep disorders among hospitalized patients, hospital staff should be trained in recognizing potential sleep disorders so that patients can receive optimal treatment early.
 
To address these concerns and improve sleep in U.S. hospitals, we have developed the SIESTA (Sleep for Inpatients: Empowering Staff to Act) program as an educational intervention designed to prepare hospital staff to assist patients in obtaining better sleep in hospitals and recognize the importance of screening for sleep disorders. The major educational goals of this module are to train and motivate medical professionals and hospital staff to provide better sleep for hospitalized patients.