Multidisciplinary Tracheostomy Care: How Collaboratives Drive Quality Improvement

Abstract

There have been reports of successful quality-improvement initiatives surrounding tracheostomy care for more than a decade, but widespread adoption of best practices has not been universal. Five key drivers have been found to improve the quality of care for tracheostomy patients: multidisciplinary synchronous ward rounds, standardization of care protocols, appropriate interdisciplinary education and staff allocation, patient and family involvement, and use of data to drive improvement. The Global Tracheostomy Collaborative is a quality-improvement collaborative dedicated to improving the care of tracheostomy patients worldwide through communication, dissemination, and implementation of proven strategies based on these 5 key drivers.

Keywords: Collaborative; Patient safety; Quality improvement; Tracheostomy; Tracheotomy.