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Nursing vocabulary · Basic Care and Mobility

Nil by mouth

Meaning in nursing, with examples

/ˌnɪl baɪ ˈmaʊθ/phraseCore term

In nursing, nil by mouth means: An instruction that a patient must not eat or drink anything, usually before an operation or test or because they cannot swallow safely.

In Turkish: oral kapalı, ağızdan hiçbir şey verilmez, NPO

How it is used

British; the US equivalent is NPO, from Latin 'nil per os'. Often shortened to NBM and shown on a sign above the bed: 'She's nil by mouth from midnight', 'Can he have sips of water or is he strictly nil by mouth?' The exact rules depend on hospital policy.

Example sentences

  1. Mr Yıldız is nil by mouth from midnight for his operation tomorrow.

  2. I'm sorry, you're nil by mouth until the speech and language therapist has checked your swallowing.

Common collocations

  • nil by mouth from midnight
  • keep someone nil by mouth
  • nil by mouth sign
  • strictly nil by mouth
  • admissionThe process of accepting a patient into hospital or onto a ward, including the first checks and paperwork.
  • dripAn everyday word for a bag of fluid or medicine that flows slowly into a patient's vein through a tube, or for the whole set-up.
  • dehydratedHaving lost more water than the body has taken in, so that it does not have enough fluid to work normally.
  • informed consentA patient's agreement to a treatment or procedure, given freely after they have been told and have understood what it involves, its risks, benefits and alternatives.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Basic Care and Mobility

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.