Care of the Individual with a Tracheostomy

At the completion of this educational activity, the learner will be able to:

1. Select three (3) indications for a tracheostomy.
2. Choose three (3) indications an individual with a tracheostomy requires suctioning.
3. Identify three (3) ways to reduce pulmonary infections in an individual with a tracheostomy.

At the completion of this educational activity, the learner will be able to demonstrate knowledge about caring for a person with a tracheostomy by passing a quiz with 85% or greater accuracy.

Lois Platt, MSN, RN

Ms. Platt is retired from a Staff Development Coordinator position in a Long-Term Care facility in Arizona. She worked as a Term Assistant Professor of Nursing for the University of Alaska Anchorage AAS Nursing Program for many years as well as coordinating and teaching the Certified Nursing Assistant Program in Valdez, Alaska. Prior to entering nursing education, Ms. Platt worked in both staff nurse and Clinical Resource Manager positions in a small Critical Access Hospital in rural Alaska. Prior to that, she worked in both staff and charge nurse positions in an Intensive Care Unit in Connecticut. Ms. Platt obtained a Diploma in nursing from Joseph Lawrence School of Nursing in
New London, Connecticut; a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from St. Joseph College in West Hartford, Connecticut; and a Master of Science in Nursing Education from the University of Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska.