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Nursing vocabulary · IV Therapy and Fluids

Dehydrated

Meaning in nursing, with examples

/ˌdiːhaɪˈdreɪtɪd/adjectiveCore term

In nursing, dehydrated means: Having lost more water than the body has taken in, so that it does not have enough fluid to work normally.

In Turkish: dehidrate, susuz kalmış, sıvı kaybı olan

How it is used

Nurses look for signs such as a dry mouth, dark concentrated urine, low urine output, dizziness and a fast pulse, especially in older people and patients who are vomiting. The noun is 'dehydration'; 'well hydrated' and 'encourage oral fluids' are common in notes.

Example sentences

  1. He's been vomiting since yesterday and looks quite dehydrated.

  2. Older patients can become dehydrated quickly in hot weather.

Common collocations

  • become dehydrated
  • severely dehydrated
  • mildly dehydrated
  • signs of dehydration
  • fluid balanceThe difference between all the fluid a patient takes in (drinks, drips, feeds) and all the fluid they lose (urine, vomit, drains) over a set time.
  • dripAn everyday word for a bag of fluid or medicine that flows slowly into a patient's vein through a tube, or for the whole set-up.
  • IVShort for intravenous: into a vein. As a noun it also means the line or drip that puts fluid or medicine straight into a vein.
  • throw upAn informal way of saying 'vomit': to bring food or liquid back up from the stomach and out through the mouth.

More terms: IV Therapy and Fluids

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.