Hypodermoclysis for rehydration in the community.
During 1999 and 2000 the practice development unit of Greater Glasgow Primary Care Trust received an increasing number of requests from community staff for guidance in caring for patients receiving subcutaneous fluids for rehydration. This article describes the process of developing guidelines in order to address the issue. Hypodermoclysis is a relatively safe, simple and cost-effective technique, suitable for use in the community with a range of client groups, e.g. older people or those recovering from recent cardiovascular accidents. Its use in palliative care, however, raises problems in terms of clinical evidence and ethical issues which need to be addressed. Various factors, i.e. products not being licensed for this specific use, staff requests for clinical guidance and the anticipated increasing use of hypodermoclysis for rehydration, all indicated the need for a collaborative approach, address the complexity of issues in the decision-making process and provide clinical guidance with the aim of improving nursing practice and patient outcomes.
Moriarty
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Greater Glasgow Primary Care NHS Trust and Nursing and Midwifery School, Glasgow University.
Hudson
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D000368:Aged; D003681:Dehydration / Q000451:nursing / Q000628:therapy*; D005440:Fluid Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006738:Hospices / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000592:standards*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012606:Scotland