Interprofessional Quality Improvement Project to Reduce the Length of Stay of Tracheostomized Patients in a Multi-Etiological Intensive Care Unit-The Contribution of Speech and Language Therapy to the Overall Result (IQ-ICU-SLT).

Background/Objectives: Reasons for long-term stays in intensive care units (ICUs) include various critical conditions, prolonged weaning with post-extubation dysphagia (PED), as well as the mere presence of a tracheal cannula. In an interprofessional QM project, medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy (SLT), and occupational therapy work together to reduce the length of stay (LOS) in ICUs. SLT focuses on tracheal cannula management (TCM) and PED. The primary aim of SLT is fast and safe decannulation and thereby the reduction in LOS. Methods: Two SOPs for dealing with PED patients and for structured TCM were developed for this purpose and were both implemented in a postoperative ICU, together with a SLT staff increase. To compare the effects on the intervention group (IG, n = 54), a historical control (HC, n = 58) group was created through a retrospective data analysis. We screened all patients from ICU (n = 5605), including those with tracheostomy, and analyzed them during their ICU stay. Results: Clinically relevant results were observed for the mean time in days of tracheostomy in those who could be decannulated (HC = 43.43, IG = 23.8; d = 0.99) and, even more importantly, for LOS in days (HC = 33.41, IG = 23.8; d = 0.48). Conclusions: The integration of SLT in ICU care is feasible and helps to reduce the time to decannulation and LOS.