Hydration Status of Geriatric Patients in a Psychiatric Hospital

Abstract

Dehydration negatively impacts geriatric hospitalization outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the hydration status of psychogeriatric inpatients and explore possible factors for dehydration. A descriptive, retrospective chart review of patients discharged from a psychogeriatric unit was completed. Clinical and biochemical information was collected at three time points (admission, mid-point, and discharge). Results were consistent with clinical observations that less hydrated patients seem to do worse clinically. It is important to closely monitor hydration status in psychogeriatric inpatients to reduce morbidity. Further studies are needed to develop strategies to prevent dehydration and its complications in this population.

Assessment of a self-reported drinks diary for the estimation of drinks intake by care home residents: Fluid intake study in the elderly (FISE)

“…Several studies have reported inaccuracies of such charts, especially in residential homes (1,9,10). In one study, onethird of residents whose fluid intake placed them at risk of dehydration were not identified (1).…”

Associations Among Fluid Intake, Cognitive Function, and Length of Stay in Psychogeriatric Inpatients

“…Subjects involved in this secondary analysis consisted of 202 patients aged 65 years or older who were hospitalized in the psychogeriatric unit. Detailed demographic and clinical information of this sample have been published previously (Forsyth et al., ) and are the same as noted earlier.…”

“…Our study is a secondary analysis of the primary study dataset from a retrospective review, and it therefore has similar limitations (i.e., a single treatment setting, missing data, and chart review of electronic medical record documentation conducted over time, resulting in older data) (Forsyth et al., ). Our analysis was also not designed for in‐depth examination of other factors that influence LOS.…”

“…The primary study was a descriptive, retrospective review of medical records to investigate the hydration status of psychogeriatric inpatients and to explore possible factors causing dehydration (Forsyth et al., ). Deidentified data from the primary study were used for this secondary study, for which access was granted to the password‐protected database containing specific data necessary to conduct the present study.…”

The influence of fluid intake on stroke recurrence — A prospective study

“…Especially among the elderly population, there is a decreased sensation of thirst that may lead to dehydration [1,2]. Amentia is often caused by dehydration and can be treated by hydration [3]. In the THIRST study, it could be shown that elderly patients presenting with acute ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack had significantly higher plasma osmolarity levels than matched healthy control subjects, suggestive of volume depletion [4].…”