I&O stands for which of the following?

I&O stands for which of the following?

• A. Input and output
• B. Intake and output
• C. Ingestion and output
• D. Inhale and exhale

Answer: (B)

I&O stands for intake and output. It’s a nursing shorthand used to track a patient’s fluid balance. Intake is all the fluids a patient takes in—oral drinks, IV fluids, tube feedings, and any other fluids entering the body. Output covers all fluid losses—urine, vomit, diarrhea or wound drainage, suctioned fluids, and other fluid losses as recorded over a shift or 24 hours. Keeping an I&O log helps clinicians assess hydration status, kidney function, and how a patient is responding to treatments like IV fluids or diuretics. Other phrases don’t fit this standard clinical meaning: “input and output” isn’t the usual term, “ingestion and output” isn’t the common charting language, and “inhale and exhale” relates to breathing, not fluid balance.

I&O stands for intake and output. It’s a nursing shorthand used to track a patient’s fluid balance. Intake is all the fluids a patient takes in—oral drinks, IV fluids, tube feedings, and any other fluids entering the body. Output covers all fluid losses—urine, vomit, diarrhea or wound drainage, suctioned fluids, and other fluid losses as recorded over a shift or 24 hours. Keeping an I&O log helps clinicians assess hydration status, kidney function, and how a patient is responding to treatments like IV fluids or diuretics.

Other phrases don’t fit this standard clinical meaning: “input and output” isn’t the usual term, “ingestion and output” isn’t the common charting language, and “inhale and exhale” relates to breathing, not fluid balance.