Emergency ventilation of the tracheostomy patient, Part I: Knowledge assessment of healthcare professionals.

A nurse-driven investigation, using a convenience sample and comparative descriptive design, was conducted within a large medical center to identify healthcare professionals' (N=885) knowledge of emergency ventilation strategies for the tracheostomy patient. Registered nurses and physicians comprised the majority of survey respondents (n=587) who answered a three-item questionnaire to assess specific knowledge. Findings focused primarily on differences in knowledge among subgroups of nurses, including those in critical care and noncritical acute care settings. Although increasing knowledge levels are documented since the mid 1980's, concern for the knowledge available to manage the emergency ventilation of tracheostomy patients is voiced. Less than half of nurses and physicians in this sample were able to answer correctly all three questions asked regarding emergency strategies. Recommendations address this knowledge deficit.