Nonsurgical airway management training for surgeons

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Airway Management

Background:

• Effective airway management is critical in surgical education.
• Hospital training alone may be insufficient for comprehensive skill development.
• Surgical residents require both cognitive understanding and technical proficiency in nonsurgical airway management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel, multimodal curriculum for nonsurgical airway management training.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of this curriculum in improving resident competency.
• To establish a foundation for future enhancements in airway management education.

Main Methods:

• Developed a curriculum integrating didactic lectures based on national guidelines.
• Supplemented lectures with hands-on simulations using inanimate models and faculty-led skills assessment.
• Assessed resident competency through knowledge-based and technical proficiency checklists.

Main Results:

• The pilot year demonstrated the curriculum's necessity and success in residency education.
• Residents rapidly adopted correct procedural techniques after initial training and practice.
• Pretest and simulation scores were consistent across postgraduate years, with slight advantages for senior residents.

Conclusions:

• The multimodal curriculum effectively addresses the need for enhanced nonsurgical airway management training.
• Didactic and hands-on components facilitate rapid procedural adoption.
• Future work will focus on incorporating advanced simulations and clinical scenarios.