Hospital gives patients popsicles to battle anesthesia’s side effects

By Isobel Williams

A hospital is providing patients recovering from surgery with popsicles — to battle the side effects of anesthesia.

Staff at Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford are now offering the sweet frozen treats to patients as part of a quality improvement project.

The initiative explores whether something as simple as ice could help reduce common post-operative symptoms such as thirst, sore throat, nausea and discomfort.

Funded by Royal Surrey Charity, the project was organized to improve patient comfort and experience after anesthesia.

It was developed by the anesthetic department in collaboration with recovery nurses and the University of Surrey.

Dr. Kai Patel, consultant anesthetist and project lead, said: "This has been a true multidisciplinary effort involving anesthetics, recovery nursing, researchers and charity support.

"Sometimes small changes can make a big difference to how patients feel after surgery."

The project was secured through the Trust's Bid for Better initiative, a "Dragon's Den"-style process where colleagues pitch their ideas to improve patient care.

Over the coming weeks, the team will continue collecting data to evaluate the impact on patient experience and recovery outcomes.

Early feedback from both patients and staff has been extremely positive, according to the hospital.