𝐖𝐏𝐀 & 𝐄𝐔𝐏𝐒𝐅 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫 Liquid Fasting Before an Operation: Reducing Risk, Improving Care 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: Wednesday, 9 July 2026 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: 3:00 PM CEST / 9:00 AM US Eastern Time 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐍𝐨𝐰: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi… Patient safety is not limited to preventing major adverse events. It also requires attention to avoidable harm that can become normalised in routine care. In many settings, patients are still asked to follow prolonged “nothing after midnight” fasting practices before surgery. This can result in patients avoiding clear liquids for 12 hours or more. Such prolonged fasting can add to physical discomfort, anxiety, dehydration, delayed recovery, and avoidable distress, despite evidence supporting more patient-centred approaches. The recent publication of the International Multidisciplinary Consensus Statement on Pre-operative Liquid Fasting, developed through a Delphi process, provides an important opportunity to revisit this issue. The World Patients Alliance (WPA) and the European Patient Safety Foundation (EUPSF) believe that practices affecting patients’ safety, comfort, and dignity should be openly examined, especially when they continue without a clear clinical rationale. 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝, 𝐖𝐏𝐀 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐔𝐏𝐒𝐅 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫: 𝐋𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐝 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤, 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞 The webinar will bring consensus recommendations, real-world clinical practice, and patient experience into dialogue. Participants will hear how the consensus group approached clear-liquid fasting, listen to patient stories on the physical and psychological impact of prolonged fasting, and engage with a multi-stakeholder panel on why such practices persist and what is needed to question and improve them. We invite healthcare professionals, hospital administrators, patient advocates, and relevant stakeholders to join this discussion on safer, more patient-centred perioperative care. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 • Andrew Spiegel | Chair, World Patients Alliance • Dr. Anne Rüggeberg (Germany) | Anaesthesiologist; Lead of the Fasting Card Project and of the Consensus Statement • Helen Haskell | Chair, WPA Patient Safety & Quality Council (patient perspective and panel moderator) • Anne Marie Camilleri Podesta (Malta) | Anaesthesiologist, representing European/national anaesthesiology societies • Doina Carmen Mazilu (Romania) | EUPSF Board member; Vice-President of The Order of Nurses, Midwives and Medical Assistants in Romania • Jolanta Bilinska | Founding Board Director, World Patients Alliance • Prof. Maria Pilar Astier Peña | President-Elect, World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) • Mrs. Mirka Cikkelová | General Secretary, EUPSF (closing remarks)

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