Critical care nursing to acute respiratory distress syndrome patients undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: a scoping review protocol

Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to map and understand the extent of the available scientific evidence regarding critical care nursing to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Introduction: At a first approach, the evidence about critical care nursing to ARDS patients undergoing ECMO, appears that falls short to identify and describe nursing care interventions. Inclusion criteria: This scoping review research strategy is based on the definition of the participants, concept and context (PCC), the main elements used to establish inclusion and exclusion criteria (Peters et al., 2020). Concerning the participants, this research will focus on critically ill patients with ARDS undergoing ECMO. The inclusion criteria pondered will reflect only on adult patients. The concept considered will be critical care nursing. Studies involving ECMO cardiac support (VA-ECMO) will be excluded. Finally, the central context will be adult intensive care units (ICU). Methods: This protocol articulates a pathway and is based on The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology guidelines. All studies included regardless of language will consider a timeline limit of five years. The first approach is based on a digital research, in order to identify the relevant vocabulary. Afterwards a scientific data bases research will be conducted in Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINEâ), in Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHLâ) and in PubMedâ (Public/Publisher search engine accessing primarily MEDLINE database and others, present at the United States National Library of Medicine), using the keyword expression, that will best serve the sensitivity for the search. The studies selection will be based on the prior established headings, considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria set previously. The list of references will ponder articles, reviews and international guidelines. The data extraction will involve two independent reviewers, and if necessary, a third one will be considered. The results will be presented in a descriptive approach, with statistical charts and graphics.