• Linda L Morris, Ana M Bedon, Erik McIntosh, and Andrea Whitmer.
• Linda L. Morris is a tracheostomy specialist/consultant and an associate professor of clinical anesthesiology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois. She is also a member of the board of directors for the Global Tracheostomy Collaborative, an international group of specialists dedicated to research and quality outcomes of patients with tracheostomies.Ana M. Bedon is a certified wound and ostomy care nurse with a background in critical care. She is currently working as the advanced practice nurse for the Digestive Health Institute at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.Erik McIntosh is an acute care nurse practitioner on an inpatient internal medicine unit, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.Andrea Whitmer is the acute care nurse practitioner for the intensivist program in the critical care unit at Elkhart General Hospital, Elkhart, Indiana. lmorris@lindamorrisphd.com.
• Crit Care Nurse. 2015 Dec 1; 35 (6): 13-27; quiz 28.

AbstractTracheostomies may be established as part of an acute or chronic illness, and intensive care nurses can take an active role in helping restore speech in patients with tracheostomies, with focused nursing assessments and interventions. Several different methods are used to restore speech, whether a patient is spontaneously breathing, ventilator dependent, or using intermittent mechanical ventilation. Restoring vocal communication allows patients to fully express themselves and their needs, enhancing patient satisfaction and quality of life.©2015 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

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