Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 25, 2026
Setting Up a Stroke Team Algorithm and Conducting Simulation-based Training in the Emergency Department - A Practical Guide
Published on: January 15, 2017
Emergency Airway Response Team Simulation Training: A Nursing Perspective
Janet T Crimlisk1, Gintas P Krisciunas, Gregory A Grillone
1Janet T. Crimlisk, DNP, RNCS, NP-C, is clinical nurse educator, Department of Nursing, Boston Medical Center, Massachusetts. Gintas P. Krisciunas, MPH, MA, is research scientist, Department of Otolaryngology, Boston University Medical Center, Massachusetts. Gregory A. Grillone, MD, FACS, is professor and vice chairman, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Massachusetts. R. Mauricio Gonzalez, MD, is clinical assistant professor of anesthesiology and vice chairman of clinical affairs, quality and patient safety, Department of Anesthesiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Massachusetts. Michael R. Winter, MPH, is associate director, Statistical Programming, Data Coordinating Center, Boston University School of Public Health, Massachusetts. Susan C. Griever, MS, NP-C, is nurse practitioner, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Boston Medical Center, Massachusetts. Eduarda Fernandes, MSN, RN, CCRN, is clinical nurse educator, Department of Nursing, Boston Medical Center, Massachusetts. Ron Medzon, MD, is associate professor, Emergency Medicine, and director, Solomont Center for Clinical Simulation and Nursing Education, Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Massachusetts. Joseph S. Blansfield, MS, NP, TCRN, is trauma and acute care surgery program manager, Department of Surgery, Boston Medical Center, Massachusetts. Adam Blumenthal, BS, NREMTP, is associate director, Emeritus, Clinical Training Center at Boston Medical Center, Massachusetts.
Background:
Simulation-based education is an important tool in the training of professionals in the medical field, especially for low-frequency, high-risk events. An interprofessional simulation-based training program was developed to enhance Emergency Airway Response Team (EART) knowledge, team dynamics, and personnel confidence. This quality improvement study evaluated the EART simulation training results of nurse participants.
Method:
Twenty-four simulation-based classes of 4-hour sessions were conducted during a 12-week period. Sixty-three nurses from the emergency department (ED) and the intensive care units (ICUs) completed the simulation. Participants were evaluated before and after the simulation program with a knowledge-based test and a team dynamics and confidence questionnaire. Additional comparisons were made between ED and ICU nurses and between nurses with previous EART experience and those without previous EART experience.
Results:
Comparison of presimulation (presim) and postsimulation (postsim) results indicated a statistically significant gain in both team dynamics and confidence and Knowledge Test scores (P < .01). There were no differences in scores between ED and ICU groups in presim or postsim scores; nurses with previous EART experience demonstrated significantly higher presim scores than nurses without EART experience, but there were no differences between these nurse groups at postsim.
Conclusions:
This project supports the use of simulation training to increase nurses' knowledge, confidence, and team dynamics in an EART response. Importantly, nurses with no previous experience achieved outcome scores similar to nurses who had experience, suggesting that emergency airway simulation is an effective way to train both new and experienced nurses.
Related Concept Videos
01:22Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation II: ACLS Airway Management
01:30Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation V: Advanced Airway Management Techniques
01:17Endotracheal Intubation II: Nursing Management
1. Nursing Care of Patients Before Intubation
Before the endotracheal intubation procedure, nurses play an essential role in ensuring the process goes smoothly. The nurses must be familiar with intubation...
01:15Endotracheal Intubation I: Procedure
The ET tube comprises various components, including a standard adaptor to attach a bag-valve-mask (BVM) or ventilator, a cuff, a pilot balloon, and radiopaque markings along its length to measure the insertion distance. The tube sizes...
01:19Respiratory Assessment: Purpose and Indications
Objectives and Importance:
The primary goal of respiratory assessment is to evaluate patients at early risk of clinical deterioration. Since respiratory distress often precedes other signs of declining health, breathing patterns and sounds become a...
01:30Asthma-IV: Nursing Management
First, in...