(0246) Providers Call for Standardized Tracheostomy Teaching Program

Introduction: There is limited literature on standardized education for new tracheostomy patients. There is possible variation in patient confidence performing tracheostomy care at the time of discharge to home. We aim to evaluate current practices and standardize education for new tracheostomy patients by implementing a new teaching program, assessing patient satisfaction and outcomes.

Methods: Baseline evaluation of tracheostomy educational practices including tracheostomy teaching chronology and modalities were studied by distributing a department-wide provider survey.

Results: In total, 23 providers completed our survey assessing current tracheostomy teaching practices. Postoperative day (POD) of tracheostomy teaching initiation varied among practitioners with 30.4% starting on POD0, 56.5% POD2, and 13% on POD3. Of respondents, 85% believed patient tracheostomy education needs to be standardized.

Conclusions: The need for standardized tracheostomy care education was overwhelmingly apparent from the provider baseline survey results. Next steps include implementation and evaluation of a novel, milestone-driven tracheostomy teaching program within a single institution.