Tracheostomy Care Takes a Team

Too often, tracheostomy patients literally do not have a voice in their own care. But nurses are in a position to help patients discover their voice and to conduct research to strengthen evidence-based practice and improve patient outcomes.

The Global Tracheostomy Collaborative (GTC, http://members.globaltrach.org/) is a multidisciplinary group of professionals from around the world focused on a single goal: improved quality and safety for tracheostomy patients. In tracheostomy care, each member of the team provides a valuable perspective, because each of us has unique training and expertise. When we come together, we can accomplish great things.

I recently worked with a few advanced practice nursing students after their clinical rotation with me to describe different strategies for restoration of speech in the tracheostomy patient in an article, "Restoring Speech to Tracheostomy Patients," published in Critical Care Nurse.

Read the full article at http://nursing.advanceweb.com/Features/Articles/Tracheostomy-Care-Takes-a-Team.aspx