Monitoring fluid intake

As discussed, even minor changes in the body’s fluid balance at cellular level can have serious consequences for the client’s health. The health professional’s role is critical in ensuring that fluid balance is monitored and recorded if the client is identified as:

• being at risk of dehydration
• having excessive fluid losses (e.g. diarrhoea)
• being fasted
• vomiting
• having fluid restriction
• being given any form of artificial nutrition or hydration
• or having some other condition which requires the fluid intake to be carefully maintained.

Therefore the total intake and output of fluids should be recorded on a fluid balance chart (see Figure 5.5).