Tracheostomy Care Education for the Nonsurgical First Responder: A Needs-Based Assessment and Quality Improvement Initiative

Abstract

Objectives: To perform a needs-based assessment for tracheostomy care education for nonsurgical first responders in the hospital setting and to implement and assess the efficacy of a targeted tracheostomy educational program. Methods: A prospective observational study conducted between October 2017 and May 2018 including emergency medicine (EM) residents, internal medicine (IM) residents, and intensive care unit (ICU) advanced practice providers at 2 tertiary hospitals. Needs-based assessments were conducted, leading to specialty specific curricula. One-hour educational sessions included didactics and case-based simulation. A pre- and posttest objective knowledge quiz and self-assessment were administered, and a posttest was repeated at 6 months. Results: There were 85 participants (13 ICU, 40 EM, 32 IM). Significant improvement (P