Assessment of nurses' knowledge about food reintroduction in tracheostomized patients

Objective: assess the knowledge of nurses working in a hospital regarding food reintroduction to tracheostomized patients. Method: this is a quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional study which used an instrument that consists of 20 closed questions, divided into two parts, applied to a sample of 50 clinical nurses in April 2011. Results: the sample was composed of 90% of female subjects with mean age of 35.4 years, 37% of respondents reported having more than ten years of professional experience and 83% stated that were never approached about the subject and that were unaware of the medical conditions to which the patient should submit to resume feeding by mouth. Conclusion: it was found professional unpreparedness and lack of knowledge in the subject and that approaching the theme since graduation and continuing education measures to be implemented in institutions that meet tracheostomized patients could provide the reintroduction of oral diet safely.