Effect Of The Provision Of An Airway Training Module On The Acquisition Of Complex Airway Skills

Abstract

Questionnaires were sent to anaesthetists working in two regions in the United Kingdom: South Wales, without formal airway training module, and Oxford, with established airway training module. Replies were received from 68% and 64% of anaesthetists in the South Wales and in Oxford regions respectively. The results of experience with patients showed differences between the Oxford and South Wales regions in the use of the intubating laryngeal mask (64% and 26% respectively, p<0.001) and fibreoptic intubation via the intubating laryngeal mask (31% and 3% respectively, p< 0.001) and via the laryngeal mask (56% and 20% respectively, p<0.001). The results of experience with manikins show similar differences. Our findings suggest that the provision of an airway training module has important effect on the acquisition of complex airway management skills. The time has now arrived for airway management issues to take more a central place in the overall training of anaesthetists.