Pre-operative fasting : nurses and anaesthetists' views and practice

Abstract

The amount of literature exploring pre-operative fasting from a medical viewpoint is substantial, yet little has been done from a nursing perspective. Therefore, this small-scale study using a descriptive research design was undertaken with the purpose of examining the management of pre-operative fasting in a Maltese general hospital. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the six nursing officers of the general surgical wards and seven consultant anesthetists. Findings suggest that the nurses lack background knowledge on the reasons behind pre-operative fasting and the recommended pre-operative fasting period, both for solid foods as well as for fluids. Moreover, it appears that there is a knowledge-practice gap, especially with the anesthetists, with the result that patients undergo prolonged pre-operative fasting periods. Compounding the problem is the absence of an updated hospital policy on pre-operative fasting and delays in the commencement of surgery and operating theatre lists which give no approximate times of when patients are expected to go to theatre. As a result of the findings recommendations for local practice are suggested.