On a recent trip to Vegas, I visited a clinic and saw a few patients getting a few cups of coffee via service from the staff -- maybe a 'vacationer welcoming' vibe instilled in Sin City?

It got me thinking -- what if some patients overindulged on the coffee? I'm told coffee is a 'patient friendly' drink, but isn't it also extra fluid? I know the staff was just being courteous, but as we all know, some patients would take too much advantage of that kindness...

The patient's drinks are included in their total fluid target as misc fluid in my clinic, and yes we do have a few patients who try to sneak through the system by asking for more drinks from different staff. No different than lying as to what your "wet" weight is, so that we take off less......

Most pts. will limit themselves to 1 cup, but for your fluid abusers, just remind them the ramifications of overloading themselves and of course, remind them that you have to include any intake into their tx goal.