Polydipsia Polydipsia Polydipsia is excessive thirst or excess drinking. The word derives from the Greek () "very thirsty", which is derived from (, "much, many") + (, "thirst"). Polydipsia is a nonspecific symptom in various medical disorders. It also occurs as an abnormal behaviour in some non-human animals, such as in birds. This symptom is characteristically found in diabetics, often as one of the initial symptoms, and in those who fail to take their anti-diabetic medications or whose condition is poorly controlled. It can also be caused by a change in the osmolality of the extracellular fluids of the body, hypokalemia,
Emergency medicine their patients, as well as a changing culture away from defensive medicine can improve cost-effective use. A transition towards more value-based care in the ED is an avenue by which providers can contain costs. Doctors that work in the EDs of hospitals receiving Medicare funding are subject to the provisions of EMTALA. EMTALA was enacted by the US Congress in 1986 to curtail "patient dumping," a practice whereby patients were refused medical care for economic or other non-medical reasons. Since its enactment, ED visits have substantially increased, with one study showing a rise in visits of 26% (which is more