title: Nursing care protocol for patients with a ventricular assist device.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to develop and validate a nursing care protocol for patients with a ventricular assist device (VAD).
  
  
  METHODS
  descriptive study, with a quantitative approach, for an instrument's methodological validation. Three stages were conducted: development of the instrument; protocol content validation according to the Delphi technique, and agreement among experts and the scientific literature.
  
  
  RESULTS
  based on the content validation, a care protocol for patients with a VAD was created and assessed by Spanish experts. Of the 15 items evaluated by means of the content validity index (CVI), 10 presented solid evidence of validation, with Kappa ranging between 0.87 and 1.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  the method enabled the validation of interventions that will contribute to qualified and standardized care for patients with a VAD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Regimar Carla
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.affiliation: Transplant services, Hospital La Fe, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Purificación
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gironés
authors.affiliation: Nursing Department, Faculdade de Taquaritinga, Taquaritinga, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Andressa Rodrigues de
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Program, Multidisciplinary Residency, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rita Simone Lopes
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.affiliation: Hospital Santa Casa de São José dos Campos, São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Camila Bomfim von
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Jakitsch
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgeries, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: João Nelson Rodrigues
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Branco
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D032921:Consensus; D003697:Delphi Technique; D005260:Female; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009732:Nursing Care / Q000379:methods*; D012015:Reference Standards; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires