Why the guideline is needed
Until recently, surgical patients were fasted routinely from food and drink for periods of eight to 12 hours before anaesthesia, to reduce the risk of aspiration pneumonitis at induction of anaesthesia.
Despite evidence that shortened preoperative fasts do not increase the risk of a harmful event for the patient, contemporary practice still has wide variations across the United Kingdom.
The benefits of reduced preoperative fasting, increased patient comfort and hydration, coupled with an unchanged risk of adverse events, provide a persuasive argument for variations in contemporary practice to be minimised.
The guideline development process is concerned not only with reviewing available evidence, canvassing expert opinion and generating recommendations, but also with promoting sustainable change in clinical practice.
This guideline addresses the inconsistencies in preoperative fasting policies and provides guidance in the postoperative field. The guideline was requested by members of the RCN, and was developed by an interdisciplinary team.
This lays a solid foundation for the guidance to make an impact on clinical practice, thereby improving the quality of patient care.