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HANDOVER. Nursing staff must indicate which patients are on a fluid balance chart. When a patient is transferred verbal and written documentation must include fluid balance and any concerns. Medical staff documentation must include a clear fluid balance management plan.
Fluid balance is an essential tool in determining hydration status. Recording intake and output tends to be one of the key activities undertaken at the bedside and is used in conjunction with the recording of vital signs and certain laboratory reports to set required fluid intake levels.
The guidance aims to: Prevent or reduce adverse consequences associated with patient dehydration by establishing an effective standard and management for optimal hydration. Create one set method for recording detailed and accurate fluid input and output.
The amount of fluid going into your body and out of your body can be monitored using a fluid balance chart. The chart has two sides. The input side (what goes into your body) and the output side (what goes out of your body).
• Fluid balance charts must be completed 1-2 hourly, cumulative balance and running totals updated at this time. • Special instructions, such as fluid restrictions, should be written in the allocated box (Documented in patient notes and on paper fluid balance chart if in use).
Fluid balance is a term described as the balance of the input and output of fluids in the body to allow metabolic processes to function correctly. It is an essential tool to determine the hydration status.
Our aim was to reduce the rate of AKI in patients with traumatic injuries in the regional trauma centre. We developed new fluid balance charts and documented how well these were completed. The number of AKI alerts per month was calculated on our pathology system.
