Airway Management Skills Amongst Anesthesia Providers

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficiency and proficiency of three common airway management techniques amongst among anesthesia providers who maintain airway management privileges in our health system.

Airway management may take place in a variety of settings with varying degrees of urgency, ranging from performance for elective operative procedures to life-threatening emergencies. An appropriate psychomotor skill set is needed to perform the procedures utilized for airway management, and the time required to do so may impact patient outcomes. Prolonged periods of apnea and accompanying hypoxia can lead to brain damage or death. This research is designed to evaluate the proficiency of anesthesia providers who are responsible for practicing airway management in hospitals or health systems in the United States, including Anesthesiologists, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, and Anesthesiology Assistants. We are attempting to establish a baseline level of proficiency by quantifying the time it takes to achieve successful airway management and the number of attempts required to do so utilizing a high fidelity manikin programmed to simulate various physiological conditions. This baseline information could then be used to manage the decisions made by hospitals or health systems related to airway management in the future, or to redefine the policies and procedures established for performing these procedures.