Hydration status of nursing home residents in Taiwan: a cross-sectional study

To investigate fluid intake, dehydration and the key factors affecting nursing home residents' fluid intake and dehydration.

Inadequate fluid intake is a common problem in nursing homes, but related studies on risk factors of inadequate fluid intake and dehydration in nursing homes have seldom been explored in detail in nursing research.

A cross-sectional design was developed and implemented. The sample was composed of 111 residents from nursing homes in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Data of demographic characteristics, activities of daily living, and modes of feeding were collected and tested for association with hydration status. Laboratory data on hydration status were also collected. Data was collected from October to December 2005.

Average daily fluid intake of the residents was 2083 mL. Forty-five per cent of the residents had a daily fluid intake that was less than their estimated requirements. Seventeen per cent of the residents had a blood urea nitrogen/creatinine ratio that was higher than 20. Mode of feeding and a diagnosis of dementia were the significant predictors of daily fluid intake and contributed to 28.8% of the total variance in daily fluid intake. Age, gender and a diagnosis of heart disease were the significant predictors of blood urea nitrogen/creatinine ratio, contributing to 17.0% of the total variance in the ratio.

The nursing home residents in our study, especially females or those fed orally, had a comparatively higher prevalence of inadequate fluid intake. It is important to assess periodically the hydration status of nursing home residents and adjust their fluid intake accordingly.