Table 1.

Survey results—GRV practices specific to the management of medical babies (n=90)

Survey question	n (%)
How often do staff in your unit measure GRV?
Once a day	0 (0)
Before every feed	20 (22.2)
Only when clinically indicated	26 (28.9)
At regular intervals	39 (43.4)
At least every 3, 4 or 6 hours	35/39
GRV is not measured	4 (4.4)
Is the specific guidance for GRV measurement followed and actually undertaken as per protocol—only asked of units with specific guidance for GRV measurement (n=39)?
Always	13 (43.3)
Usually	17 (38.6)
Often	4 (10.3)
Rarely/Never	5 (12.8)
Who usually decides what to do with concerning GRV aspirates in the first instance? (more than one response allowed)
Senior doctor (consultant)	13 (14.4)
Middle grade doctor (SpR)	41 (45.6)
Junior grade doctor (SHO)	18 (20.0)
Bedside nurse	56 (62.2)
Nurse in charge of shift (senior nurse)	26 (28.9)
How much does volume of the aspirate affect your decision around GRV?
1 (Not at all)	5 (5.6)
2	11 (12.2)
3	40 (44.4)
4	21 (23.3)
5 (Very much)	13 (14.4)
How much does colour of the aspirate affect your decision around GRV?
1 (Not at all)	3 (3.3)
2	6 (6.7)
3	16 (17.8)
4	28 (31.1)
5 (Very much)	37 (41.1)
What do you do with obtained GRV: return or discard?
Return	44 (48.9)
Discard	7 (7.8)
Other	39 (43.3)

GRV, gastric residual volume; SHO, senior house officer; SpR, specialist registrar.