Improving children's cooperation with tracheotomy care by performing and caring for a tracheotomy in the child's doll-a case analysis.

Described is a 2-year-old child who required a tracheotomy for an obstructing laryngeal tumor. Post-operatively the child responded with extreme anxiety and refused to cooperate with tracheostomy care including suctioning, tie changing and cannula change. A novel approach was attempted. We performed a tracheotomy on the child's favorite doll and taught her to perform all the necessary tracheostomy care on the doll. Once the child became accustomed to treating the doll, it became much easier to care for her tracheostomy and compliance to treatment improved greatly to the point were restraint was no longer required. This model of mock surgery and care of a child's doll may be helpful in treating young children with tracheotomies.