A Speech Recognition Application as a Communication Aid for Acute and Critical Care Patients With Tracheostomies

Patients in acute and critical care often undergo a tracheostomy. A tracheostomy is an incision at the front of the neck to insert a breathing tube directly into the airway. The tube sits in place in the airway using an inflated air-filled cuff. This means that no airflow is directed up and out past the vocal cords through the voice box, and speech is not possible. Being unable to speak can cause distress to patients and may place them at an increased risk of harm if they are unable to express their wishes or needs. It can also increase stress for relatives and healthcare staff as they try to understand what patients are trying to say. Usually when patients cannot talk, staff use different items to help, like a pen and paper. A new communication device that runs on a smartphone or tablet has recently been developed. It is for patients with tracheostomies and works by reading lip movements and translating them into words on the device screen. The aim of this study is to find out if providing adult acute and critical care patients who have a tracheostomy with the use of this lip-reading device could improve how they communicate. This study will include: 1. Using the lip-reading device in acute and critical care to test if it helps patients with tracheostomies to communicate better. 2. Interviews with patients, relatives and focus groups/interviews with staff to find out their views on communication including the use of the new lipreading device. 3. Follow-up with patients approximately 3-months after acute/critical care discharge to complete some further questions about their physical and mental health. The study will take place in three critical care units and one acute care unit in Northern Ireland and is expected to last 18 months. The study has been funded by the Public Health Agency Research and Development Division.