Multicenter Survey on Staff Understanding of Preoperative Fasting Guidelines

To assess the knowledge of nursing staff regarding pediatric preoperative fasting in a tertiary pediatric center and a general hospital.

Anonymous electronic survey with nine questions modified to each institution.

This was a prospective quantitative study. Nursing staff at a tertiary pediatric center and pediatric nursing staff at a general hospital with pediatric services were eligible for participation. An anonymous electronic survey with nine questions via Survey Monkey was used over a 2-month period.

There were 295 participants from the tertiary pediatric center and 24 from the general hospital which represented 10% of overall nursing staff at the tertiary pediatric center and approximately 50% of pediatric nursing staff at the general hospital. At both the tertiary pediatric center and the general hospital, 50 to 80% of participants correctly answered most questions. More participants were correct for the fasting times for infants less than 6 month of age than for those over 6 months old. For clear fluids, 61 (20.7%) and 13 (4.4%) considered jelly and breast milk as clear fluids respectively at the tertiary pediatric center.

Preoperative fasting continues to be a core area of pediatric care that is not completely understood. Our survey showed that although the majority of staff claim to be able to access the hospital guidelines, knowledge of these guidelines can be improved. In light of ongoing changing evidence, it is clear that education is a key factor in reducing morbidity and improving patient experience related to preoperative fasting.