Validation methods of nursing protocols: an integrative review.

OBJECTIVE: to identify scientific production about validation methods of nursing care protocols.

METHOD: an integrative review with search at Scielo, Pubmed/MEDLINE, Virtual Health Library, Web of Science, Scopus, and EBSCOhost. The descriptors "validation studies", "validation studies as topic", "protocols", "clinical protocols", "practice guidelines as topic", "nursing" and "nursing assessment" and the uncontrolled descriptor "validation" were used.

RESULTS: thirty-two articles were selected, most of them Brazilian. Content validation by experts was the most frequent method, with no consensus on the number of participants for the process. The collection instruments were mostly created by the authors. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and Content Validity Index, with a variable consensus rate in the analyzed articles.

CONCLUSION: protocols validated by experts are robust tools for use in clinical practice, with methodological rigor in development essential for its quality.