Nil per os orders for imaging: a teachable moment.

Wickerham AL, Schultz EJ, Lewine EB. JAMA Intern Med. 2017 Sep 18; [Epub ahead of print].

Patients are often told to fast before a procedure (nil per os or NPO). This case discussion reviews an incident that occurred due to an NPO status order for a patient prior to imaging to illustrate how NPO orders can result in harm. The authors recommend improvements in policy guidance, expansion of the research base, and enhanced clinician decision making to reduce overuse of NPO orders.

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