Improving the Safety of Tracheostomy Patients
Each year, St. Joseph’s Health takes part in annual National Patient Safety Week by prominently displaying the NPSF posters, educational resources, and promotional materials among hospital staff and visitors. This year, Patient Safety Week was celebrated March 11-17 and the theme was “Every Day is Patient Safety Day.” In keeping with the theme, the Respiratory Therapy Department’s 2018 Patient Safety Awareness Week (PSAW) presentation focused on “Tracheostomy Patient Safety and Patient / Caregiver Engagement.”
Every Day is Patient Safety Day
The PSAW poster presentation was designed to bring to the forefront the current challenges both respiratory therapists and nurses face in the clinical care and management of tracheostomy patients at our St. Joseph’s University main campus.
The principles of the current tracheostomy care quality improvement initiative introduce the concept of multidisciplinary team collaboration, a successful concept that brings best evidence into best practice. Performing a systematic appraisal of the currently implemented Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) for tracheostomy care and management results in policies and procedures being considered for updates. Inspired by the Global Tracheostomy Collaborative, St. Joseph’s Health Care System continues to strive to reduce tracheostomy-related adverse events, wean / decannulate patients earlier, reduce length of stay, and improve quality of life for tracheostomy patients.
The St. Joseph’s NPSF presentation event reignited our commitment to tracheostomy patient safety and at the same time, stressed to clinicians the importance of understanding the current challenges in the care of tracheostomy patients.