Effect of an intervention on performance regarding change of tracheostomy tube among the caregivers of the patient

Abstract

Background Majority of the stable patients after neurosurgery requiring long-term care are discharged with tracheostomy tube (TT) in situ. The caregivers need to learn the technique of change of TT at home. Aims The current study talks about the effect of an intervention on the performance regarding change of TT among the caregivers of the patients who are going to be discharged with a TT in situ. Materials and Methods The study was carried out in the Department of Neurosurgery of a tertiary care hospital. Sixty-four subjects were purposely selected. The tools used were identification data sheet and an observation checklist on the change of TT. First, the caregivers were observed during change of TT. Then, each subject was demonstrated the right technique of change of tube. Statistical Analysis and Results Majority of the subjects (89.1%) were male 70.3% were married. Age of the subject was in the range of 18-60 years, with a mean age of 30.7 ± 8.9 years. The maximum attainable performance score of the change of TT was 16. Before demonstration, only one subject had some knowledge about the change of TT. After 72 h of demonstration, the score was 12.34 ± 1.6 (77.2%). Conclusion It is recommended that the caregivers should be properly trained regarding changing the TT in order to prevent any complication while performing the procedure. The results of this study provide further strategies for other caregiver guidance programmes.

Keywords

• caregiver
• changing tracheostomy tube
• performance