{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T13:05:58Z","timestamp":1789563958331,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":19,"publisher":"AOSIS","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,17]],"date-time":"2026-09-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789603200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Tracheostomy care requires healthcare professionals to recognise and manage routine and emergency complications promptly. Knowledge and preparedness gaps may compromise patient safety, particularly in resource-limited settings. This study assessed baseline knowledge and self-reported confidence in tracheostomy care and evaluated the immediate effect of a structured educational programme at Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital.\nMethods: A quantitative quasi-experimental one-group pre-test\u2013post-test study was conducted among healthcare professionals involved in tracheostomy care. Participants completed structured questionnaires before and immediately after a tracheostomy educational programme. Changes in knowledge and confidence were analysed using McNemar\u2019s test, Friedman\u2019s test and generalised estimating equations (GEE).\nResults: Seventy-seven healthcare professionals participated. High overall knowledge increased from 14.3% pre-intervention to 67.5% post-intervention (p &lt; 0.001). Participants had significantly higher odds of adequate knowledge after the intervention (adjusted OR 11.71, 95% CI 4.30\u201331.88; p &lt; 0.001), while &gt; 11 years of clinical experience was also associated with adequate knowledge (adjusted OR 4.74, 95% CI 1.77\u201312.69; p = 0.002). Confidence in tracheostomy tube insertion improved significantly (p = 0.003), with participants aged \u2264 40 years more likely to report high confidence (adjusted OR 2.27, 95% CI 1.06\u20134.88; p = 0.035).\nConclusion: A structured tracheostomy educational programme significantly improved healthcare professionals\u2019 knowledge and self-reported confidence. Regular education incorporating simulation may improve preparedness and promote safer tracheostomy care, particularly in resource-limited settings.\nContribution: This study contributes to the limited South African literature on healthcare professionals\u2019 knowledge of tracheostomy care by identifying important knowledge gaps and demonstrating that a structured educational intervention can significantly improve both knowledge and confidence. The findings provide locally relevant evidence to support the development of standardised tracheostomy-care training, regular refresher programmes and institutional protocols aimed at improving the safety and quality of tracheostomy care.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4102\/jcmsa.v4i1.236","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T12:24:09Z","timestamp":1789561449000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4102\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Effect of a structured tracheostomy educational programme on healthcare professionals\u2019 knowledge and confidence: A quasi-experimental pre-test\u2013post-test study at Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital"],"prefix":"10.4102","volume":"4","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-9251-3592","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zanele","family":"Tuswa","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/02svzjn28","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Walter Sisulu University"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1628-3511","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Banele","family":"Kokose","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/02svzjn28","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Walter Sisulu University"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-0184-083X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mirabel K.K","family":"Nanjoh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/02svzjn28","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Walter Sisulu University"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-5750-2702","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Charles","family":"Myataza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/02svzjn28","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Walter Sisulu University"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"2580","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref0","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cheung NH, Napolitano LM. 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