Despite this, the management of patients remains problematic. The prevalence of
hyponatraemia in widely different conditions and the fact that hyponatraemia is managed by clinicians with a broad variety
of backgrounds have fostered diverse institution- and speciality-based approaches to diagnosis and treatment. To obtain a
common and holistic view, the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM), the European Society of Endocrinology
(ESE) and the European Renal Association – European Dialysis and Transplant Association (ERA–EDTA), represented by
European Renal Best Practice (ERBP), have developed the Clinical Practice Guideline on the diagnostic approach and
treatment of hyponatraemia as a joint venture of three societies representing specialists with a natural interest in
hyponatraemia. In addition to a rigorous approach to methodology and evaluation, we were keen to ensure that the
document focused on patient-important outcomes and included utility for clinicians involved in everyday practice.