Effect of performance feedback on tracheal suctioning knowledge and skills: randomized controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Healthcare education
• Clinical skills training
• Patient safety protocols

Background:

• Healthcare professionals often exhibit deficiencies in tracheal suctioning knowledge and practice.
• While initial training improves skills, these gains are not consistently maintained over time.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of individualized performance feedback on nurses' and physiotherapists' knowledge and practice of tracheal suctioning.
• To determine if tailored feedback enhances the retention of tracheal suctioning skills.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 95 healthcare professionals (nurses and physiotherapists) across two acute hospitals.
• Participants received either individualized performance feedback or standard care after a lecture and practical demonstration.
• Knowledge and practice were assessed using questionnaires and structured observations in both clinical and simulation settings.

Main Results:

• The group receiving performance feedback demonstrated statistically significant improvements in both knowledge (P = 0.004) and practice (P < 0.01) compared to the control group.
• Physiotherapists generally outperformed nurses in practice (P < 0.01).
• Performance feedback showed a more pronounced positive effect in the simulation setting (P < 0.01).

Conclusions:

• Individualized performance feedback following training is effective in improving and sustaining knowledge and practice of tracheal suctioning.
• Further investigation is needed to ascertain the long-term durability of these improvements and their generalizability from simulation to clinical practice.