Assessment and nursing diagnosis in fluid and electrolyte disorders.

Disorders of fluid and electrolyte balance are common considerations in adult medical-surgical clients with underlying pathologic conditions. The assessment framework presented in an integrated approach is an attempt to provide the clinician with a nursing model to be used in gaining pertinent clinical information from clients with existing or suspected fluid and electrolyte disorders. The use of health patterns facilitates the collection and organization of information gained by the nurse through assessment. This framework assists the nurse in processing subjective and objective assessment data to obtain an accurate nursing diagnosis. Nursing diagnosis is the keystone of the nursing process--without an organized framework for the collection of assessment data, the nursing diagnosis may not be valid and, therefore, nursing care will not be client-centered.