In their voices:
Darlene Acorda
, MSN, RN, CPN
Clinical nurse specialist - progressive care unit
As a nurse in the progressive care unit (PCU), part of my job is leading the tracheostomy
education program. The PCU has historically provided this education to families because of
the high volume of trach patients we see. Before we formed this program, the education
for families lacked structure. Now there is a strategic education program that takes place
throughout a patient’s hospital stay. Trach education equips the families with information
before they leave the hospital so they can take better care of their children once they’re at
home. Subsequently, we’ve successfully decreased the length of stay for families who were
previously not comfortable going home with a child on a trach.
