Determining health personnel's application trends of new guidelines for preoperative fasting: findings from a survey.

Abstract

For over a century, the discontinuation of oral food intake preoperatively after midnight has been routinely applied. Although routine fasting during the night before elective surgery has been abandoned by many modern centers, preoperative fasting after midnight continues as a routine practice. The purpose of this study was to determine trends in health personnel's application of new guidelines for preoperative fasting. The research sample of this descriptive study consisted of 73 nurses and physicians who were working in the surgical clinics during the time when the study was conducted and who agreed to participate in the study. The data of the study were collected using a questionnaire designed by the researchers. Of the health personnel included in the study group, 43.8% routinely kept adult patients fasting after midnight, 34.2% discontinued solid food intake 8hours preoperatively, 5.5% discontinued solid food intake 6hours preoperatively, and 34.2% discontinued the intake of clear and particulate liquids 4 to 8hours preoperatively. Compliance of the American Society of Anesthesiologists' "2-4-6-8 rule" by health staff was very low. This study was carried out in a hospital and based on the statements of health staff. Therefore, the findings of the study are suggestive in nature and cannot be generalized. We recommend that the study should be conducted with larger sample groups and that actual preoperative fasting periods of the patients should be determined.