This study was done to survey nurses on the medical units of one hospital in order to (1) ascertain their interpretation of a minimum and maximum amount of fluid in the order "Force fluids", and (2) determine criteria most used by these nurses to identify the fluid quantities. The descriptive survey was the method of study. A questionnaire, which centered around recorded chart information for four patients whose fluid therapy was prescribed as "Force fluids", was the research tool. Findings revealed that the upper limits and modes on the minimum and maximum fluid distributions remained constant and the means and standard deviations varied slightly. The lower limits also varied. Fluid amounts between the upper limits on the minimum and the lower limits on the maximum fluid distributions overlapped. There was no clear distinction as to which was the minimum and which was the maxi mum fluid quantity. Overlaps of the standard deviations of the fluid distributions fell on the overlap of the ranges of the distributions for all four patients. Criterion selected for identifying minimum fluid amounts was so varied that isolation of the ones most used was virtually impossible. Criterion most selected for identifying maximum fluid amounts was elevation of temperature, or fever. No two respondents in this study selected like criteria and fluid amounts. No relationship could be found between criteria selected and identified fluid amounts. These findings seem to indicate discrepancies among the nurses in this study in their interpretation of minimum and maximum fluid amounts in the order "Force fluids" and in the criteria selected to identify these fluid quantities.
Nursing, Fluid Therapy -- standards; Body Fluids; Nursing Care -- methods
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