Are physicians overlooking the clinical assessment of hypovolemia?

The survey presented 3 clinical scripts suggestive of hypovolemia: (1) severe postural weakness in a patient recently treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (and undiagnosed acute bleeding ulcer), (2) profound weakness in a patient on diuretics, and (3) a teenager with diarrhea and vomiting. In a subsequent question, explicitly directed to the evaluation of suspected hypovolemia, respondents were similarly asked to rate the importance of various tests: complete blood count, serum electrolytes, capillary filling, urine electrolytes, pulse rate, peripheral temperature, skin turgor, mucosal dryness, and postural signs.