Soveafsnittet

Soveafsnittet, literally “the sleep department” in Norwegian, Swedish and Danish usage, is a healthcare term that refers to a ward or unit with a focus on sleep-related care. The concept and exact configuration vary by country and hospital.

In postoperative contexts, soveafsnittet is a recovery area where patients are kept under close supervision during the immediate phases after anesthesia and during periods requiring stable, low-stimulation conditions. In sleep medicine contexts, some institutions use the term to describe a ward or block of rooms designed for sleep evaluation, observation, and treatment, sometimes including facilities for nocturnal monitoring or sleep studies.

Typical features include dimmed or adjustable lighting, sound reduction measures, single-patient rooms or quiet bays, access to continuous monitoring (heart rate, oxygen saturation, breathing), and nursing staff available for overnight observation. Staffing usually involves nurses, nurse anesthetists, respiratory therapists, and physicians such as anesthesiologists or pulmonologists, depending on the unit’s function.

Because the term is regional rather than a standardized hospital designation, its exact scope can differ between hospitals. See also: postoperative care, sleep medicine, polysomnography, hospital ward.