Judging Category

Quality Assessment Research

Student Rank

Graduate

College

Nursing and Health Professions

Description

Abstract

Patients taking glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists have a 30.5% higher prevalence of retained gastric contents at the time of surgery despite being held according to ASA and AANA recommendations, highlighting the need for enhanced preoperative assessment to reduce aspiration risk (Sen et al., 2024; Willson et al., 2024). Although an effective, noninvasive tool for assessing gastric contents and reducing the risk of pulmonary aspiration, gastric ultrasound remains underutilized in anesthesia practice (Pan et al., 2024). This evidence-based project evaluated whether an educational intervention could improve anesthesia providers’ knowledge, attitudes, and readiness to adopt point-of-care gastric ultrasound (POC-GUS) into preoperative practice. The project was implemented across three facilities in Arkansas and included 17 anesthesia providers—16 certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) and one anesthesiologist. Pre- and post-education data were collected using knowledge assessments and Likert-scale questionnaires. A paired t-test demonstrated significant knowledge improvement from pre- to post-education (M = 5.7 to 7.7, t(16) = –3.834, p = 0.001, d = 0.93). Wilcoxon signed-rank testing revealed significant positive shifts in attitudes and willingness to use GUS in clinical practice (p < 0.05). All four project objectives were met, demonstrating improved knowledge, educational efficacy, and readiness to integrate GUS into anesthesia practice. These findings support that targeted education effectively promotes evidence-based adoption of gastric ultrasound, enhancing patient safety and reducing aspiration risk among GLP-1 agonist users.

Keywords: GLP-1, gastric ultrasound, anesthesia, aspiration, education

Disciplines

Nursing

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Evaluating the Impact of Evidence-Based Education on the Utilization of Preoperative Gastric Ultrasound for Patients on GLP-1 Agonists

Abstract

Patients taking glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists have a 30.5% higher prevalence of retained gastric contents at the time of surgery despite being held according to ASA and AANA recommendations, highlighting the need for enhanced preoperative assessment to reduce aspiration risk (Sen et al., 2024; Willson et al., 2024). Although an effective, noninvasive tool for assessing gastric contents and reducing the risk of pulmonary aspiration, gastric ultrasound remains underutilized in anesthesia practice (Pan et al., 2024). This evidence-based project evaluated whether an educational intervention could improve anesthesia providers’ knowledge, attitudes, and readiness to adopt point-of-care gastric ultrasound (POC-GUS) into preoperative practice. The project was implemented across three facilities in Arkansas and included 17 anesthesia providers—16 certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) and one anesthesiologist. Pre- and post-education data were collected using knowledge assessments and Likert-scale questionnaires. A paired t-test demonstrated significant knowledge improvement from pre- to post-education (M = 5.7 to 7.7, t(16) = –3.834, p = 0.001, d = 0.93). Wilcoxon signed-rank testing revealed significant positive shifts in attitudes and willingness to use GUS in clinical practice (p < 0.05). All four project objectives were met, demonstrating improved knowledge, educational efficacy, and readiness to integrate GUS into anesthesia practice. These findings support that targeted education effectively promotes evidence-based adoption of gastric ultrasound, enhancing patient safety and reducing aspiration risk among GLP-1 agonist users.

Keywords: GLP-1, gastric ultrasound, anesthesia, aspiration, education