Fluid is essential for life and health. Nurses have an important role in helping patients maintain optimal levels of hydration, particularly in hospital or residential settings where access to fluid is less likely to be under the patient's control. This article describes the benefits of healthy hydration, outlines guidelines on fluid requirements for different patient [...]

Total water intake is seldom reported in dietary surveys and hydration status is rarely measured. Although adequate intake (AI) levels have been suggested by the European Food Safety Authority, the World Health Organization and the Institute of Medicine, uncertainties and confused messages abound regarding optimum intake. This paper reviews data on water intake internationally and [...]

As the number of youth sports participants continues to rise over the past decade, so too have sports related injuries and emergency department visits. With low levels of oversight and regulation observed in youth sports, the responsibility for safety education of coaches, parents, law makers, organizations and institutions falls largely on the sports medicine practitioner. [...]