Unit 36 Intake and Output Charts Basic Principles

Unit 36 Intake and Output Charts

Basic Principles for Completing Intake and Output Charts • Intake and output (I & O) charts are used to record all fluids a person takes in and eliminates during a certain period of time, usually 24 hours. – Intake refers to all fluids taken by the patient. – Output refers to all fluids eliminated by the patient.

Basic Principles for Completing Intake and Output Charts • Fluids for I & O charts are recorded as metric measurements, usually in milliliters (m. L). – Some facilities use cubic centimeters (cc). Because 1 m. L equals 1 cc, the measurements are identical. – Most agencies use standard measurements to record amounts.

Basic Principles for Completing Intake and Output Charts • Most charts contain 1 -hour time periods to record information. • Every 8 hours, a total is calculated for each column. • At the end of the 24 -hour period, the three 8 hour totals are added together to obtain the 24 -hour total for each column.

Basic Principles for Completing Intake and Output Charts • Example Intake and Output (I & O) Chart.

Intake and Output Charts • Example: Using the example I & O chart on the previous slide, what is the patient’s 8 -hour oral intake from 7 a. m. to 3 p. m. ? – Check the 8 -hour total after 3 p. m under Oral. – The patient’s 8 -hour oral intake is 820 m. L.

Practical Problem • A patient had urine output as follows: 9 am = 400 m. L 5 pm = 375 m. L 1 am = 400 m. L 1 pm = 250 m. L 9 pm = 550 m. L 5 am = 200 m. L • What was the total urine output for this 24 -hour period?

Practical Problem • Add: • The patient’s 24 -hour urine output is 2, 175 m. L.