Education and training in airway management

Despite the use of alternative training methods and efforts to structure training, it remains a challenge to ensure that every anaesthesia trainee gains sufficient experience in the use of core techniques of airway management. As less time is spent in the operating room during training, it becomes less likely that trainees will be exposed to an adequate number of challenging airway cases that enable them to practise advanced techniques of airway management under supervision. Nowadays the only way to overcome this deficit in anaesthesia training is to prepare trainees as well as possible outside the operating room so that clinical training opportunities can be used most effectively when they arise. Sufficient training can only be ensured when the required equipment and time are provided. Therefore, particularly in the light of increasing economic pressures, it is necessary to address the responsibilities of everyone involved in the training process. Here, we critically review traditional and recent modalities of anaesthesia training, assess their value, and describe a multi-modal approach to airway management education.