Nurses' knowledge on routine care and maintenance of adult vascular access devices: A scoping review

Background Vascular access devices (VAD), centrally (CVAD) or peripherally (PIV) located, are common in the nursing profession. A high proportion of admitted patients require a VAD to enable administration of intravenous treatments or diagnostic modalities. As the primary caregivers for these patients, nurses are responsible for ongoing care and maintenance of these devices. Objective This scoping review examines the current state of practicing nurses knowledge around routine care and maintenance of adult VADs. Methods In the fall of 2018, the following databases were searched: Medline‐Ovid 1946 to current, Embase‐Ovid 1947 to current, Ebsco CINAHL Plus with full text and ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health database, and articles were selected according to the PRISMA‐ScR checklist. Inclusion criteria: original research published in peer‐reviewed journals; in English or French; and focused on practising nurses’ knowledge about the routine care and maintenance of adult VADs. Results Of the 4,099 abstracts identified, 36 full‐text articles were included. Study characteristics are reportedin addition to themes found in the literature: the relationship between demographic data and CVAD/PIV knowledge, the state of nurses’ CVAD/PIV knowledge and nurses’ CVAD/PIV knowledge scores. Overall, significant gaps in nurses’ knowledge on the care and maintenance of VADs are noted. Conclusion The variability in nurses’ knowledge around both CVAD and PIV led the authors to conclude that there is room for improvement in the educational preparation of nurses and a need for workplace training. Relevance to Clinical Practice This scoping review intends to highlight the knowledge gap of nurses with regard to best practices for VAD routine care and maintenance and demonstrate the need for education, both in educational and healthcare institutions, to ensure high‐quality care and improved patient outcomes.