Which term concerns maintaining body fluid balance?

• A. Hygiene
• B. Impaired
• C. Hydration
• D. Impending

Answer: (C)

Hydration is about having enough body water to maintain fluid balance and support essential bodily functions. When hydration is adequate, fluid intake matches loss, helping to preserve circulating blood volume, temperature regulation, and electrolyte balance. This makes hydration the best term for describing the state of maintaining body fluid balance. Hygiene relates to cleanliness and infection prevention, not fluid status. Impaired is a general nursing diagnosis descriptor that can apply to many problems and doesn’t specify fluid balance. Impending refers to something likely to occur soon and does not describe the current fluid state.