Highlights
- •Standardized tracheostomy “go-bags” improve tracheostomy supply organization.
- •Standardized, hospital-provided, trifold “go-bags” improve “go-bag” compliance.
- •Diagram-based checklists assist caregivers with tracheostomy supply organization.
- •Diagram-based checklists assist clinical team members with routine supply checks.
- •Caregiver confidence and emergency preparedness improved with an updated “go-bag.”
Introduction
This project aimed to standardize and improve the emergency tracheostomy “go-bag”
provided by our institution and to increase “go-bag” compliance, supply organization,
and emergency preparedness and confidence among caregivers of tracheostomy-dependent
children.
Method
We provided caregivers with a new trifold “go-bag,” containing four zippered pockets.
Diagram-based supply checklists were placed in each “go-bag” to assist with supply
organization and supply checks performed by the clinical team. Caregiver questionnaires
were administered before and after “go-bag” distribution to assess the impact of the
practice change.
Results
Between July 1, 2020 and February 28, 2021, 43% (n = 30) of tracheostomy-dependent children followed by the Department of Otolaryngology
received a new “go-bag.” Overall, “go-bag” compliance, supply organization, and caregiver
confidence related to providing care at home and intervening in an emergency improved
from baseline. Caregivers reported overwhelmingly positive feedback regarding the
new “go-bag” design and utility.
Discussion
These findings support the use of standardized, user-friendly tracheostomy “go-bags”
provided by health care institutions and the performance of routine “go-bag” supply
checks to ensure patient safety and caregiver preparedness.
KEY WORDS
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Biography
Melissa M. Condren, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Connecticut Children's, Hartford, CT
Biography
Katherine Kavanagh, Physician, Connecticut Children's, Hartford, CT, and Associate Professor of Surgery, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT
Biography
Barbara Mulholland, Registered Nurse, Connecticut Children's, Hartford, CT
Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 05, 2022
Footnotes
Conflicts of interest: None to report.
Identification
Copyright
Copyright © 2022 by the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
