Conceptual and operational definitions of the defining characteristics of the nursing diagnosis Disturbed Sleep Pattern.

Objective: to present the knowledge produced about sleep and Acute Coronary Syndrome in order to assist in the elaboration of the operational and conceptual definitions of the defining characteristics of the nursing diagnosis Disturbed Sleep Pattern (00198).

Method: integrative review in the following databases: COCHRANE; SCOPUS; MEDLINE (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online) via Pubmed; LILACS (Latin American and Caribbean Health Science Literature Database); CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) and EMBASE (The Excerpta Medical Database). At the end of the search, 2827 studies were found, 43 were selected for reading, and 10 were included in the review. The gray literature was also included.

Results: important findings related to clinical evidence and contributing factors of sleep were found in the review. However, in order to build definitions of the defining characteristics, it was necessary to use gray literature, such as a Portuguese dictionary and two textbooks about sleep.

Conclusion: the definitions will help nurses in their practice in the collection of information, in the determination of the nursing diagnosis studied here, and in directing care measures with respect to quantity and quality of sleep of Acute Coronary Syndrome inpatients. They will also assist in the next steps of the validation of this diagnosis to the referred population.