Improving Fluid Balance Charts (and Hypervolaemia v Hypovolaemia)

Fluid balance charts are an important piece of documentation with a poor reputation.

Despite offering valuable information that may help prevent patients from becoming seriously ill, healthcare staff are notorious for leaving them incomplete and inaccurate (Vincent & Mahendiran 2015).

Dehydration is a prevalent issue in hospitals and care settings, with many patients relying on staff to manage their fluid intake, but time constraints and inaccuracies are putting these people at risk (Litchfield, Magill & Flint 2018).

It is essential that fluid balance charts are accurately completed in order to determine a patient’s fluid input and output and identify any potential fluid loss or gain that could be detrimental, requiring escalation of care.

What is Fluid Balance?

Fluid balance, also known as fluid homeostasis, describes the balancing of the body’s fluid input and output levels to prevent the fluid concentration from changing (Payne 2017; Bannerman 2018).

In order to maintain the necessary balance of nutrients, oxygen and water, the adult body generally requires an intake of two to three litres per day, with approximately the same output (Bannerman 2018).