Authors: (including presenting author): :
Chu KL(1), Chan OK(1), Yip V(1), Lee MY(2)
Affiliation: :
Department of Anaesthesiology (1), Day Surgery Centre (2), United Christian Hospital
Keyword 1: :
Sip til Send
Keyword 3: :
Satisfaction Survey
Introduction: :
Prolonged pre-operative fasting is common which can be associated with adverse effects including dry mouth, thirst, headache, anxiety, nausea and vomiting, which negatively impact patient experience. A more liberal clear-fluid regimen, allowing patients to sip small volumes of water until transfer to the operating theatre (“Sip til Send”), was introduced for elective urology day and same-day surgical patients in the Day Surgery Centre (DSC) of United Christian Hospital
Objectives: :
The objective was to evaluate the effect of the “Sip til Send” protocol on patients’ thirst, nausea and overall satisfaction, compared with standard fasting care, in elective urology day and same-day surgical patients
Methodology: :
The “Sip til Send” protocol allowed eligible patients to drink up to 120 ml of water until on call to theatre, without changing the existing policy of 6 hours fasting for solids and 2 hours for clear fluids. Inclusion criteria were adult patients awaiting elective urology surgery in DSC; exclusions included history of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease or hiatus hernia, body mass index above 35, documented gastric dysmotility, obstructing gastrointestinal lesions, cognitive impairment, strict NPO orders and fluid restriction. A structured questionnaire survey was conducted over two periods (9/9/2025–8/10/2025 and 25/11/2025–19/12/2025) to compare patients managed with the “Sip til Send” protocol and those receiving standard care, assessing perioperative water intake, thirst scores in DSC and Post-Anaesthesia Care Unit (PACU), incidence of nausea/vomiting, and satisfaction ratings.
Result & Outcome: :
A total of 66 patients were surveyed across the two audit periods. In the first and second periods, reported pre-operative water intake increased from 12% to 19% of patients, indicating gradual uptake of the protocol. Patients in the “Sip til Send” group reported a higher proportion with no thirst both in DSC and PACU (70% vs 48%), and all patients in this group had no nausea or vomiting in PACU compared with 93% in the standard care group. Overall satisfaction was higher in the “Sip til Send” group, with 80% of patients rating their experience as satisfied or very satisfied and no negative ratings, whereas the standard care group showed lower satisfaction with some very bad and fair ratings. Allowing selected patients to sip small amounts of water until theatre collection appeared to reduce thirst, maintain low nausea rates and improve satisfaction without altering established fasting intervals.
