Prevalence, risk factors, and treatment methods of thirst in critically ill patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT: Critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) experience various symptoms and discomfort. Although thirst is a typical distressing symptom and should be assessed daily, it is crucial to understand its prevalence and risk factors in the ICU setting. Nevertheless, currently, systematic reviews of prevalence and risk factors are lacking. This study evaluated the prevalence and risk factors of thirst in critically ill patients. We conducted a comprehensive search of the MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL databases. The study design included cohort, cross-sectional, and intervention studies, including randomized and non-randomized controlled trials with control groups. The point estimates from each study were combined using a random-effects meta-analysis model. We aggrega

SUBMITTER: Fukunaga T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11918398 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature