What is it about?
After the implementation of a speech language pathologist(SLP)-led tracheostomy team in the trauma service at a level 1 trauma hospital, researchers found improvements in several patient-centered outcomes. These included an increase in SLP consultation, speaking valve utilization, and decannulation rates, as well as earlier consultation to SLP services by 4 days.
Featured Image
Photo by Luis Melendez on Unsplash
Why is it important?
It highlights the SLP role with this population and hopefully can help other SLPs spearhead similiar team efforts. We provide algorithms used in the process so that any healthcare provider may adapt to their own setting.
Perspectives
I feel this is a much needed area in literature and tracheostomy teams are common but placing the SLP in a lead role is novel
Rachael Silveira
Though this manuscript is read as a research article, it is the result of one SLP’s passion project. A group of like minded medical professionals and healthcare workers were brought together and inspired to shift the current care of patients with a tracheostomy into one that was standardized and evidence based. As part of this project I saw improvements in things that matter: an increase in a patients ability to talk, to eat, and an increase in those that left the hospital without a tracheostomy. Resident physicians were inspired and motivated to help patients reach their goals. We hope this article helps others set things in motion at their own facilities.
Nicole Yordan Lopez
HCA Bayonet Point Hospital
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Implementation of a Speech-Language Pathologist–Led Tracheostomy Team in a Level 1 Trauma Hospital, Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, September 2024, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA),
DOI: 10.1044/2024_persp-23-00201.
You can read the full text:
Resources
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
