Tracheostomy Overlay System: An Effective Learning Device Using Standardized Patients

• The Tracheostomy Care Overlay System (TOS) promotes a smooth transition from tracheostomy care and suctioning simulation learning to clinical practice.
• The TOS has the potential to substantially improve simulated education in both academia and clinical practice settings designed for patients with a tracheostomy.
• Practicing on the TOS allows nursing students to recognize mistakes before they have built muscle memory, which could contribute to improved patient outcomes.

A team of students and faculty from engineering and nursing developed a wearable Tracheostomy Overlay System (TOS) for use with standardized patients. This device was designed to improve education of health professions students while learning assessment and care of a patient with a tracheostomy in clinical practice. The initial study of the TOS included nursing student participants (N = 57) who were tested on tracheostomy care and suctioning using either the traditional teaching method (a manikin) or the new TOS on a standardized patient to determine effectiveness of the TOS as a teaching method. Self-efficacy surveys were collected and identified clinical behavior was observed and quantified by two trained, independent observers. Survey results indicated significantly more positive clinical interaction (19.7 ± 8.34 TOS vs. 4.0 ± 4.80 manikin, p < .05) and self-correction (3.04 ± 1.95 TOS vs. 0.43 ± 0.73 manikin, p < .05) when the participants used the TOS. The TOS has the potential to improve simulated nursing education in both academia and clinical practice settings for patients with a tracheotomy.