Nursing care in the administration of vasoactive drugs in intensive care unit: an integrative review

Abstract

The nursing team is the category responsible for administering the medications, therefore, it is extremely important that the team has a deep understanding of the care that should be provided to patients receiving vasoactive drugs in the ICU. The objective was to map in the literature the main nursing care in the administration of vasoactive drugs in patients in the ICU. Integrative literature review, based on the descriptors Nursing, Nursing Care, Nursing Care, Vasoactive Drugs, Vasoactive Drugs, Vasoactive Drugs, Intensive Care Unit, and ICU, combined using Boolean operators AND and OR in the SciELO databases, BDENF, MEDLINE, LILACS, CINAHL, Science Direct and Google Scholar, published between 2014 and 2023 in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Interventions and practices are identified such as: establishing drug dilution criteria through institutional protocols; maintaining care with central venous access; prepare and calculate the dosage of drugs according to the medical prescription; know the mechanism of action, stability, and drug interaction; handle the infusion pump and monitor the signs of operation. It is desirable for nursing professionals to be able to critically reflect on their own workflow, with the aim of improving the quality of care provided to patients.