Care Manager Certification Practice Exam

Which action can a nurse take to monitor a patient’s fluid status effectively?

1. Assess daily weights.

2. Adjust IV rates.

3. Instruct patients on fluid intake.

4. Limit mobility.

The correct answer is: Assess daily weights.

Monitoring a patient’s fluid status is crucial for ensuring their overall health and managing any potential fluid imbalances. One of the most reliable and effective methods for assessing a patient’s fluid status is through daily weights. This method provides a quantitative measure of a patient's fluid retention or loss. A sudden increase in weight can indicate fluid retention, while a significant decrease can reflect fluid loss, which may be due to dehydration or other underlying conditions. Daily weights are particularly useful because they account for all fluid intake and loss over a 24-hour period, allowing healthcare providers to identify trends and make adjustments to the patient's care plan based on these observations. This method is also straightforward to implement and can be quickly incorporated into daily patient care routines, making it an essential tool in fluid status assessment. While adjusting IV rates, instructing patients on fluid intake, and limiting mobility can be important aspects of managing a patient's care, they do not provide the direct and measurable assessment of fluid status that daily weights do. These actions may support fluid management but do not give a clear picture of the patient's current fluid balance. Therefore, assessing daily weights stands out as the most effective action for monitoring fluid status.