Development and expert consensus on an action protocol for multidisciplinary vascular access teams

The implementation of specialized multidisciplinary vascular access teams (VATs), composed of healthcare professionals with advanced expertise, has been recommended to ensure best practices in the insertion, management, and monitoring of vascular access devices. The aim is to standardize the intervention of a multidisciplinary vascular access team, through the construction of an action protocol.

This mixed-method study used an exploratory, descriptive qualitative approach followed by a quantitative Delphi technique to reach expert consensus. Twenty healthcare professionals participated in the qualitative phase, while twenty experts, all trained in ultrasound-guided vascular access, were involved in the quantitative phase.

The qualitative analysis revealed the need for a structured protocol addressing device selection, patient assessment, and activation criteria. The quantitative phase achieved 100 % consensus on the proposed interventions, leading to the construction of a validated flowchart for VAT actions.

A consensus-based protocol was successfully developed, integrating evidence-based recommendations and expert consensus. This protocol can improve clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and resource optimization and can be adapted for implementation in other healthcare institutions.