Airway Management Proficiency Checklist for Assessing Paramedic Performance.

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Medical Education
• Paramedic Practice

Background:

• Effective airway management is critical for paramedic practice.
• Assessing paramedic proficiency in airway management requires validated tools.
• Difficult airway scenarios present unique challenges for pre-hospital care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a practical instrument for assessing paramedic airway management proficiency.
• To create a standardized checklist for evaluating critical airway skills in simulated environments.
• To enhance the measurement of paramedic performance in complex airway scenarios.

Main Methods:

• Development of the Airway Management Proficiency Checklist (AMPC) using a validated difficult airway model simulation.
• Iterative item reduction and psychometric evaluation (tetrachoric correlations, Kuder-Richardson Formula 20, Rasch analysis) of 131 initial items.
• Inclusion of 197 certified paramedics responding to a traumatic brain injury scenario.

Main Results:

• The AMPC was refined from 131 to 37 items through rigorous deletion based on simulation fidelity, clarity, and psychometric quality.
• Three subscales were formed, focusing on intubation, ventilation, and backup airway procedures.
• Final retained items demonstrated fit to the Rasch Model, indicating good measurement quality.

Conclusions:

• The 37-item AMPC is a psychometrically validated instrument for assessing paramedic airway management.
• This checklist identifies key tasks essential for comprehensive airway management.
• The AMPC will aid in improving paramedic training and performance measurement in airway skills.