Methodology Study Design and Population The proposed study will be conducted at Rush University Medical Center (RUMC) in Chicago, Illinois. Using the medical center's electronic medical database (Epic), a current list of tracheostomy patients will be acquired as the accessible population. From this patient list, a sample of those that fit the inclusion and exclusion criteria will be used as the study sample. Patients from the intensive care unit (ICU) as well as various acute care floors will be included in the study. Participants will be approached individually to request consent for participation in the proposed study, and their cooperation will be emphasized as being strictly voluntary.