Cognitive behavioural treatment for insomnia in primary care: a systematic review of sleep outcomes

Background Practice guidelines recommend that chronic insomnia be treated first with cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), and that hypnotic medication be considered only when CBT-I is unsuccessful. Although there is evidence of CBT-I's efficacy in research studies, systematic reviews of its effects in primary care are lacking. Aim To review the effects on sleep outcomes of CBT-I delivered in primary care. Design and setting Systematic review of articles published worldwide. Method Medline, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and CINAHL were searched for articles published from January 1987 until August 2018 that reported sleep results and on the use of CBT-I in general primary care settings. Two researchers independently assessed and then reached agreement on the included studies and the extracted data. Cohen's d was used to measure effects on sleep diary outcomes and the Insomnia Severity Index. Results In total, 13 studies were included. Medium-to-large positive effects on self-reported sleep were found for CBT-I provided over 4-6 sessions. Improvements were generally well maintained for 3-12 months post-treatment. Studies of interventions in which the format or content veered substantially from conventional CBT-I were less conclusive. In only three studies was CBT-I delivered by a GP; usually, it was provided by nurses, psychologists, nurse practitioners, social workers, or counsellors. Six studies included advice on withdrawal from hypnotics. Conclusion The findings support the effectiveness of multicomponent CBT-I in general primary care. Future studies should use standard sleep measures, examine daytime symptoms, and investigate the impact of hypnotic tapering interventions delivered in conjunction with CBT-I.