Strategies to promote best flushing practices for the maintenance of intravenous catheters: scoping review protocol

This scoping review protocol aims to map the strategies described in the literature to promote best flushing practices for maintaining the patency of intravenous catheters in hospitalized adults. Intravenous therapy is widely used in hospital care, yet catheter occlusion remains a frequent complication associated with adverse outcomes, increased costs, and greater nursing workload. Flushing with 0.9% saline, performed according to evidence-based recommendations, is a key practice to prevent obstruction; however, studies indicate inconsistent adherence regarding technique, volume, and frequency. Guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology, this review will include scientific articles and grey literature in Portuguese, English, and Spanish, without time restriction. Searches will be conducted across major databases and institutional sources, followed by independent screening, data extraction, and descriptive synthesis. The findings are expected to support safer nursing practices and contribute to patient safety initiatives by identifying effective strategies and technologies that enhance flushing quality in hospital settings.