Factors influencing quality of life in children with tracheostomy with emphasis on home care visits: a multi-centre investigation.

Objective: Only a few studies have assessed the quality of life in children with tracheostomies. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of life and the factors influencing it in these children.

Method: This cross-sectional, two-centre study was conducted on paediatric patients living in the community with a tracheostomy by using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory. Clinical and demographic information of patients, as well as parents' socioeconomic factors, were obtained.

Results: A total of 53 patients met our inclusion criteria, and their parents agreed to participate. The mean age of patients was 6.85 years, and 21 patients were ventilator-dependent. The total paediatric health-related quality of life score was 59.28, and the family impact score was 68.49. In non-ventilator-dependent patients, multivariate analyses indicated that social functioning and health-related quality of life were negatively affected by the duration of tracheostomy. The Quality of Life of ventilator-dependent patients was influenced by care visits and the presence of pulmonary co-morbidities.

Conclusion: Children with tracheostomies have a lower quality of life than healthy children do. Routine care visits by a respiratory therapist and nurses yielded significantly improved quality of life in ventilator-dependent children.