{"title":"Factors influencing the fasting decisions of day-case surgery patients.","authors":"Ruth Burgess","doi":"10.12968/bjon.2023.0277","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Patients admitted on the day of surgery are asked to arrive fasted, and they often fast for longer than necessary. Although pre-assessment supports patients to prepare for surgery, little is known about how they make fasting decisions.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>To explore factors influencing the fasting decisions of day-case patients and how to provide information pre-operatively.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A qualitative descriptive study design was used. Semi-structured telephone interviews were carried out with 10 patients recruited from a single day-case unit. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>Three themes provided context for fasting decisions: the operation as a serious event; the patient as an active partner; and the patient as a rule follower. Length of fast is determined by fasting decisions and practicalities.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Patients approach fasting decisions according to their knowledge and experience and their individual preferences for information. Pre-assessment nurses should tailor information to the patient and explain the rationale for fasting.</p>","PeriodicalId":35761,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Nursing","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"British Journal of Nursing","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2023.0277","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"Nursing","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Patients admitted on the day of surgery are asked to arrive fasted, and they often fast for longer than necessary. Although pre-assessment supports patients to prepare for surgery, little is known about how they make fasting decisions.
Aims: To explore factors influencing the fasting decisions of day-case patients and how to provide information pre-operatively.
Methods: A qualitative descriptive study design was used. Semi-structured telephone interviews were carried out with 10 patients recruited from a single day-case unit. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.
Findings: Three themes provided context for fasting decisions: the operation as a serious event; the patient as an active partner; and the patient as a rule follower. Length of fast is determined by fasting decisions and practicalities.
Conclusion: Patients approach fasting decisions according to their knowledge and experience and their individual preferences for information. Pre-assessment nurses should tailor information to the patient and explain the rationale for fasting.
期刊介绍:
British Journal of Nursing (BJN) provides all nurses, regardless of specialism, with a comprehensive resource that brings together nursing practice, education and leadership. We believe that the nurse''s role has become increasingly demanding, which is why we have made some important updates to the journal. It now has more clinical content, more practical features - with clear learning outcomes – and new ''bitesize'' articles designed for accessibility. These changes have been made for one reason – to help easily obtain essential information you can trust.