Objective To explore the practical effects of action research on the management of preoperative fasting and fluid restriction in day surgery patients. MethodsA convenience sampling method was used to select day surgery patients who underwent day surgery at the Day Surgery Center of West China Hospital of Sichuan University between May 2022 and May 2024. According to the admission time, patients were divided into control group, first cycles group, and second cycles group. The effects of the preoperative fasting and fluid restriction management plan were observed based on the implementation of two rounds of action plans. Results A total of 567 patients were included. Among them, there were 186 cases in the control group, 190 cases in the first cycles group, and 191 cases in the second cycles group. There was no statistically significant difference in general information among the three groups of patients (P>0.05). After implementing the initiative to reduce preoperative fasting durations, the median preoperative fasting time for day surgery patients in the second cycle was 4.41 (3.13, 6.12) hours, which represented a significant reduction compared to 13.72 (10.83, 16.40) hours prior to the intervention and 6.42 (4.53, 9.60) hours in the first cycle (P<0.05). Although the fasting duration did not significantly decrease among the three groups, the morning feeding rates for patients in the first and second cycles showed a slight increase compared to the control group. Conclusions Through the implementation of a preoperative fasting and fluid restriction management protocol, the preoperative fluid restriction duration for day surgery patients has been significantly reduced. This aligns with the principles of enhanced recovery after surgery. Moreover, the incidence of intraoperative aspiration and postoperative nausea and vomiting did not show a significant increase. Action research offers crucial theoretical and practical support for the efficient and scientific implementation of preoperative fasting and fluid restriction management.