title: Patients' understanding of pre-operative fasting.
abstract: We aimed to assess elective day surgery patients' understanding of the reason for pre-operative fasting. One hundred adult patients presenting to the peri-operative unit for day procedures requiring general anaesthesia were surveyed before discharge. All day-stay, adult patients able to complete a questionnaire in English were included. Only 22% (95%CI [14,31]) of patients correctly understood why fasting was necessary. Patients who did not understand were nearly five times more likely to underrate the importance of compliance (risk ratio 4.65, 95%CI [1.2,18]). Two per cent (95%CI [0.2,7]) of patients reported actual non-compliance, and 4% (95%CI [1,10]) stated they would consider misrepresenting their fasting status if it was inconvenient for them to have their surgery postponed. The results of this study suggest a need to better inform day surgery patients about the reason for pre-operative fasting. A better understanding of the need for pre-operative fasting may lead to improved compliance and patient safety.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia, Wellington Hospital, New Zealand.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thorn
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Omundsen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000556:Ambulatory Surgical Procedures; D000768:Anesthesia, General; D032882:Comprehension; D005215:Fasting; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011300:Preoperative Care