Developing an Educational Program for Tracheostomy Care

Medical-surgical nurses at the project site demonstrated a knowledge deficit regarding the care of adult patients with a tracheostomy. Such knowledge deficits could expose patients to higher risks for infection, bedsores, prolonged hospital stays, increased costs, increased caregiver burden, and death. The purpose of this project was to develop an educational program to improve nurses\u27 knowledge and confidence in the provision of evidence-based tracheostomy care to answer the question if the content of an evidence-based educational program developed to improve nurses\u27 knowledge and confidence in managing adult patients with tracheostomy on a medical-surgical floor would meet the expectations of a panel of content experts. Bandura\u27s self-efficacy and social learning theories provided theoretical guidance for the project. Five local nurse practitioners served as content experts and made recommendations about how the program could be improved, as well as suggestions relating to the wording of and the time allowed for the simulation aspect of the program. Content experts used a 5-point Likert-scale survey to evaluate the education at the completion of the program. Results showed that all reviewers strongly agreed that the content of the program was relevant, was based on the best available evidence, and was well organized and easy to follow. This project may promote positive change on the medical-surgical floor by improving providers\u27 knowledge, skills, and confidence in the provision of care based on the best available evidence, which may lead to improvements in the quality of care provided to tracheostomized patients