Understanding water intoxication. Part 2. Nursing care for the patient with self-induced water intoxication.

Responding to the patient with self-induced water intoxication is a particularly challenging aspect of nursing care. Nurses may have little information other than personal experience from which to plan care. An overview of nursing care methods, using a nursing process approach for patients in either a 1-1 or group setting, has been presented. Effective intervention needs to include control, monitoring, psychoeducation, and ongoing evaluation.