Date of Award
Spring 5-24-2025
Document Type
Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscript
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Department
Nursing
First Advisor
Martha Grant Fuller, PhD, APRN
Abstract
Infants who are ventilator-dependent or have anatomic anomalies of their airway frequently require tracheostomy placement prior to discharge from the hospital in order to be cared for safely at home. At this large quaternary children’s hospital in Southern California, preparing these infants for discharge after tracheostomy placement has not been the role of the NICU nurse. There was no system in place on how to train caregivers, and the NICU staff felt unprepared. Evidence supports use of intensive educational programs to improve nurse knowledge and skills of tracheostomy care, allowing NICU nurses to provide improved care and pre-discharge teaching.
A course was developed by a multidisciplinary team of experts which included didactic and simulation components. Forty-nine nurses from three classes completed the pre- and post-tests. Mean comfort with family teaching and tracheostomy care improved from 3.2 to 4.3 measured with a 5-point Likert scale (p < 0.001). Average performance on the knowledge quiz improved from 71% to 88% correct (p < 0.001), with improvement seen in nurses of all levels of experience.
This project showed that a single class using an existing curriculum can improve both knowledge and comfort. It also demonstrated the value of cross-disciplinary and inter-unit cooperation in teaching nurses. The course should be formalized by the institution and offered on a regularly scheduled basis. This project can lead to research measuring the impact of this training on patient outcomes, in particular length of stay, caregiver stress, and complication rates.
Digital USD Citation
Chamoy, Todd N., "Implementation of a Tracheostomy Discharge Education Class for NICU Nurses" (2025). Doctor of Nursing Practice Final Manuscripts. 309.
https://digital.sandiego.edu/dnp/309
Copyright
Copyright held by the author
