An audit on the management of hypomagnesaemia on the wards in a district general hospital in the UK

Hypomagnesaemia (Low serum magnesium) can be a life- threatening condition, if severe, and can co-exist with hypokalaemia and hypocalcaemia (with hypoparathyroidism), though the serum magnesium level is not routinely estimated. Given the fact that many medications commonly used in clinical practice can lower the level of serum magnesium (along with other causes) by various mechanisms and that repletion of serum magnesium is absolutely necessary before correction of hypokalaemia and hypocalcaemia, in case of co-existence, we decided to do a short audit for 3 weeks in the month of January 2023, to get an understanding whether patients with hypomagnesaemia were managed adequately on the Wards, in accordance with the prevailing Guidelines. The findings showed that though the aetiology of low serum magnesium was not established in every case, symptomatic management of the condition was adequate.