title: Tracheostomy home care: in a resource-limited setting.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Home tracheostomy care for children in South Africa dates back to 1989.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to describe the tracheostomy home programme at Tygerberg Children's Hospital (TCH), situated in a resource-limited setting in Cape Town, South Africa.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective descriptive study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tracheostomy home programme at TCH. The primary care giver is trained by nurses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-six children (29 girls) were discharged to the home programme (47 to home and 9 to institutions). The median age at tracheostomy was 3 months, mainly for airway obstruction. The mean duration of home care was 26.6 months. Twenty-seven children (43%) were successfully decannulated. Seven children lived in informal housing. The 56 children generated 745 social work contacts. The overall survival was 82%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children with tracheostomies can be safely cared for at home, even in a resource-constrained environment, provided training, appropriate technology and social support services are available.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg Children's Hospital, PO Box 19063, Tygerberg 7505, South Africa. aneesa@sun.ac.za
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vanker
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kling
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Booysen
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rhode
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Goussard
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Heyns
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Gie
mesh_terms: D017028:Caregivers / Q000193:education; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D018575:Home Care Services, Hospital-Based / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006798:Housing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012947:Social Work; D013019:South Africa; D014139:Tracheostomy / Q000451:nursing*; D016896:Treatment Outcome