Admissions: Fluid Balance Charting

Introduction

In this guide, you'll discover how to seamlessly record and manage Fluid Balance Observations within the Admissions module. Learn how to navigate to the Fluid Balance chart, add intake and output metrics such as IV fluids, oral intake, urine, drains, and more, and let the system automatically calculate cumulative totals like progressive intake, output, and net balance. This ensures that your documentation stays accurate and complete, helping you make informed clinical decisions with confidence.

Contents

1. Viewing a Patient's Fluid Balance & Adding a Fluid Restriction
2. Adding Fluid Balance Observations

Viewing a Patient's Fluid Balance & Adding a Fluid Restriction

A patient's positive and negative fluid balances are displayed above the Fluid Balance Observation under the Charting menu for an admitted patient. Beside these fields, you may also enter a Fluid Restriction if required. 

Observations are recorded on a day by day basis, but the overall Positive Balance, Negative Balance, and Fluid Restriction are held at Admission level.

Note: These fields will be blank unless a Fluid Balance Observation has been recorded for that Admission.

1. Click on Admissions, then click on the Patient Name, or click on Find Patient and search by name.
   
    
2. Open the Fluid Balance option under the Charting menu.
   
   
    
3. The patient's current balances are displayed at the top-right of the Fluid Balance chart. If you'd like to add a Fluid Balance Restriction, you can enter the maximum number of allowable mls into the field provided, and then click out of the field to save your changes.
   
    

Adding Fluid Balance Observations

1. Click on Admissions, then click on the Patient Name, or click on Find Patient and search by name.
   
    
2. Open the Fluid Balance option under the Charting menu.
   
   
    
3. Click the (+) plus icon above the time you wish to record an Observation.
   
   
    
4. Enter values for the following fields as required:
   • Fluid Intake
     • IV Fluid
     • PEG/NG
     • Oral
     • Others
   • Fluid Output
     • Vomit
     • Nasogastric Aspirate
     • Urine
     • Drain Tube
     • Chest Drain
     • Bowels
     • Others
       
       Note: The User, Fluid Balance, Progressive Fluid Balance, Fluid Intake Total, Progressive Fluid Intake, and Progressive Fluid Output will then be auto-filled for you, based on the person who created the record, and calculations from the entered values
        
5. When you have entered all required information, the tick icon will become available. Click this to save your changes.
   
   
    
6. The User, Fluid Balance, Progressive Fluid Balance, Fluid Intake Total, Progressive Fluid Intake, and Progressive Fluid Output will then be calculated, and added into the relevant fields for you.