Simple change enhances patient comfort at Redcliffe Hospital

Redcliffe Hospital’s Director of Anaesthetics leads the team that implemented ‘sip til send’.

A new evidence-based approach called ‘sip till send’ is allowing most surgical patients at Redcliffe Hospital to access fasting fluids until they reach the theatre door.

Redcliffe Hospital’s Director of Anaesthetics Dr David Whybrew said that sip til send is a simple, safe and kind way of improving patient comfort and post-surgical outcomes.

“It allows many surgical patients to consumer small quantities of clear liquids until they enter the operating theatre.

“While the amount of liquid they can consumer is restricted, it’s enough to make them more comfortable while waiting for their procedure.”

Redcliffe Hospital cares for more than 800 surgical patients each month, having adopted sip til send across its entire surgical line.

“Sip til send applies to both elective and emergency surgical patients – though emergency patients will benefit most,” Dr Whybrew said.

“Before sip til send, if an emergency surgical patient had something to drink, it could mean delaying their surgery for hours and missing out on opportunities to have their surgery sooner.

“At the same time, not allowing a patient anything to drink while they’re waiting for surgery often made them even more uncomfortable.”

While sip til send is available for most surgical patients at Redcliffe Hospital, there are some exclusions, such as those deemed strictly ‘nil by mouth’ or those needing thickened fluids.

Dr Whybrew says that sip til send has been well received by patients, with the nursing team receiving lots of positive feedback from patients before and after their procedures.

“Sip til send is a safe and proven way to make our patients a little more comfortable before their procedures, I’d expect we’ll see it become the norm at many more hospitals in the next year or two,” he said.