Nil by mouth: what’s the latest best practice for nurses?

Are traditional, so-called ‘nil by mouth’ practices damaging to patients?

In this episode of the Nursing Standard podcast, University of Gloucestershire senior nursing lecturers Rachel Jefferies and Leigh Crossland discuss best practice in fasting – and why some nurses may be following outdated guidelines.

They talk about the need for a person-centred approach to preoperative fasting, balancing nutrition, hydration and other factors against worries about aspiration.

Ms Jefferies and Mr Crossland are the authors of a Nursing Standard CPD article on this subject, Preoperative fasting practice: optimising surgical patients’ food and fluid intake.

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