How to Calculate Intake Volume

Recording intake and output is of a vital importance in a hospital setting. It is a very sensitive tool to determine how a patient is doing. Intake and output can let a nurse know how the kidneys and heart are functioning long before any symptoms start showing. Intake is just one side of the coin, but it is an important one. Nothing can be overlooked, especially when patients with kidney problems are on fluid restrictions. Having an accurate account of fluid intake is important to the well-being of the patient.

Things You'll Need

• Intake and output sheet
• Pen
• Calculator
• Graduated cylinder

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Instructions

• 1

  Measure the patient's fluid intake by mouth. Become familiar with how much water is in a standard glass that a patient uses, how much is in a water pitcher and how much Jell-O fits into a standard cup. If a patient drinks from of non-hospital cups, use a graduated cylinder to measure how much fluid fits into that cup. Ask the patient to keep track of what he takes in to assist you in recording this data.

• 2

  Calculate how much fluid the patient has consumed by mouth in an eight-hour period. This is to include all beverages as well as water for taking medication. Foods such as soup broth, Jell-O and ice cream also count as fluids. Record this on the intake and output sheet.

• 3

  Calculate how much fluid the patient has received intravenously over an eight-hour period. This includes any maintenance intravenous fluids, intravenous piggybacks, keep-vein-open lines, blood and blood products, flushes, total parenteral nutrition and tube feedings. Anything that is infused into the patient is considered as intake and should be recorded on the intake and output sheet.

• 4

  Tally the numbers for the intake of oral and intravenous fluids at the end of a 24-hour period. Add these two numbers together to get the total intake volume for the 24-hour period for the patient.