A nurse is recording the I/O chart of a client. She notes the client had an intake of ice chips filled in a cup of 200 ml and the client consumed all of the ice chips. The volume consumed would be recorded as ___ ml.

1. A

   100

2. B

   150

3. C

   200

4. D

   50

Appeared in: UPUMS Nsg officer-2023

Explanation

• In nursing practice, the fluid volume of ice chips is recorded as half of its measured solid volume.
• This standard conversion accounts for the air trapped in the ice, which makes it less dense and voluminous than its liquid water equivalent.
• Therefore, a 200 ml cup of ice chips is correctly documented as 100 ml of fluid intake (200 ml ÷ 2 = 100 ml).

Why Other Options Were Wrong

• Option B: This incorrectly assumes ice melts to 75% of its volume, which would overestimate the client's fluid intake.
• Option C: This is the volume of the solid ice, not the resulting liquid. Recording this amount would double the actual fluid intake and lead to inaccurate fluid balance assessment.
• Option D: This incorrectly assumes ice melts to 25% of its volume, which would significantly underestimate the client's fluid intake.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

• Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Calculation of fluid intake from ice chips for an Intake and Output (I/O) chart to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
• Accurate I/O charting is critical for assessing a patient's fluid and electrolyte balance, especially in patients with renal, cardiac, or endocrine disorders.
• Inaccurate recording can lead to serious clinical errors, such as fluid overload or dehydration, which can have life-threatening consequences.
• What if? If the client was on a strict fluid restriction of 1000 ml per day, incorrectly recording the intake as 200 ml would use up 20% of their daily allowance, when in reality it only used 10%. This could lead to unnecessary fluid restriction for the rest of the day.

How to Approach the Question

• Identify the core task: The question asks for the correct way to record a specific type of fluid intake (ice chips) on an I/O chart.
• Recall the specific nursing rule for this item. Remember that some intake items, like ice chips, have standard conversion factors.
• Apply the rule: The standard conversion for ice chips is to record them as half their measured volume.
• Perform the calculation: Volume of ice chips (200 ml) ÷ 2 = 100 ml.
• Select the option that matches the calculated result.

Concept Tested & Keywords

• Concept Tested: Calculation of fluid intake from ice chips for an Intake and Output (I/O) chart.
• Stem keywords: I/O chart, intake, ice chips, 200 ml, volume consumed
• Lead-in keywords: recorded as
• Clinical cues: Intake of ice chips: This is a specific type of intake that requires a standard conversion, unlike plain water or juice.

Question ID

Qud7SbwPW8tuegcTudMIyP

Copy ID

Reference Book

E6 Nursing Fundamentals Potter Perry 12e Part 5 p. 61-63