Lived experience of being discharged with a tracheostomy
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the lived experience of being discharged and living independently with a long-term tracheostomy
IRAS ID
343259
Contact name
Danielle Worsley
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Southampton
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 30 days
Research summary
Aim: To explore the experience of people discharged from hospital with a long-term tracheostomy tube and living in the community without formal carer support.
Background: Some people require a tracheostomy tube inserted into their neck to help them breathe. This can be temporary, or permanent and can be for a variety of reasons, with patients often having multiple health conditions. There are more people being discharged home with a tracheostomy tube but we don’t have much understanding about how people manage at home with these tubes in place. Tracheostomy care is a known healthcare challenge and little is known about community tracheostomy care. It is a challenge for professionals to maintain knowledge and skill in tracheostomy care, meaning community support for long-term patients with tracheostomies is limited, and formal care is not standard. Poor tracheostomy management could be worsening patients quality of life, health and causing more hospital stays. The government want more care to be closer to home and hospitals acute services are struggling with high demand which means increasing our knowledge is vital. This study aims to better understand patient’s lives when living with a tracheostomy tube so services can be planned around their needs.
Design: We will interview people about their experiences after discharge home from hospital with a tracheostomy tube. The aim will be to explore their journey from hospital to living at home and establish whether training received in hospital prepared them for living at home with a tracheostomy. We also want to understand what care they want and need that is not currently provided for. This will increase the current knowledge for healthcare professionals across the UK and internationally, helping to inform service design and development.
Outcomes: Demographic data will be recorded. Interviews with patients will be recorded digitally and written reports from these recordings will be analysed for themes between and across those interviewed.
Dissemination: The results of this study will be written up as a student dissertation. Results will be presented at national and international conferences, and published in research journals accessible to the public.REC name
London - Dulwich Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/PR/0998
Date of REC Opinion
28 Aug 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion