Developing a best practice model for care of patients with polydipsia

Some psychiatric patients diagnosed with schizophrenia have a secondary diagnosis of polydipsia which is manifested by consuming excessive quantities of fluids, marked confusion, and disorientation. In most instances, these persons are less amenable to treatment and rehabilitative interventions due to the changes in cognitive and physical processes. A review of our own current practice found that we had a small group of polydipsia patients requiring a large amount of one-to-one staff time for little or no long-term benefit. Further, there was no uniform approach to identify, treat, and monitor outcomes for patients with polydipsia. A TQM team was assembled with the goal of identifying a protocol for assessing the presence of polydipsia and a care map for the treatment of confirmed cases. The outcome was the development of a care map using diagnostic procedures and interventions found in the professional literature and empirical data collected on site. A short pilot study revealed that a number of polydipsia patients on Clozaril along with other interventions were successfully discharged from the hospital.