Prevalence of and risk factors for thirst in the intensive care unit: An observational study.
Rong Lin, Hong Li, Lili Chen and 1 others
PMID 35199411WHAT IT FOUND
Thirst affected 69.8% of conscious ICU patients.
The strongest predictors were fasting orders, recent surgery, high blood glucose and greater illness severity. Anxiety, depression, room temperature and humidity were not linked to thirst.
Key findings
01Thirst was reported by 210 of 301 patients, with 26.2% of those experiencing severe thirst.
02Fasting orders, recent surgery, high blood glucose and greater illness severity were independent risk factors for thirst.
03Anxiety and depression scores did not differ significantly between patients with and without thirst.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Single-centre study in China, limiting generalisability. Only conscious and communicative patients were included, excluding those heavily sedated or unable to self-report, which may bias prevalence estimates. Thirst intensity was self-reported and cannot be objectively measured. Missing physiological data for some patients (e.g., CVP, osmolality) may have affected analysis accuracy.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that adjusting room humidity or treating anxiety will relieve ICU thirst. The study found no association between thirst and environmental factors or psychological scores, identifying fasting, surgery, glucose levels and illness severity as the primary drivers.