Final answer:
Administering a hypotonic intravenous solution to a dehydrated patient impacts osmosis, the passive movement of water that helps rehydrate cells and restore fluid balance across body compartments.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process for transporting fluids and electrolytes between the body compartments that is impacted when a nurse administers a hypotonic intravenous solution to a patient for the treatment of dehydration is osmosis. Osmosis is the passive movement of water across a semipermeable membrane from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration. In the context of dehydration, administering a hypotonic solution, which has a lower concentration of solutes than the body's fluids, will result in water moving into the cells to equalize solute concentrations. This process helps to rehydrate cells and restore proper fluid balance across body compartments.
Given to correct dehydration, a hypotonic solution can replenish water in the intracellular compartment, resulting in a balanced distribution of fluids. However, the administration of such hypotonic fluids must be carefully monitored to prevent potential complications, such as cells swelling excessively or disrupting electrolyte balance, that might arise from too rapid or too excessive fluid shifts. The correction of dehydration may also involve isotonic solutions to repair losses without causing large shifts in fluid compartments.