Self-reported changes in attitude and behavior after attending a simulation-aided airway management course

Study Objective: To evaluate the influence of a simulator-aided course for airway management on participants' daily clinical airway management practice. Design: Survey instrument. Setting: University hospital. Participants: 88 participants who attended a simulator-aided course for airway management. Intervention: Six mo after 4 consecutive courses with identical structure and content, participants were mailed a standardized questionnaire to answer. Measurements and Main Results: Of 88 participants queried, 48 completed the questionnaire. Ninety-two percent had experienced a difficult airway situation in the 6 mo after the course. Fourteen (29%) evaluated predictors for a difficult airway more carefully. Fourteen (29%) established structural changes within their departments. Ten (21%) participants acquired new technical airway devices. The mean estimated impact on the participants' rating for lectures, skill stations, and scenarios on a scale from 1 (very helpful) to 6 (not at all helpful) was 2.8 for lectures, 1.6 for skill stations, and 1.4 for scenarios. Conclusions: Attendance at a simulator-aided airway management course has a significant impact on self-reported accuracy and confidence in evaluation of airways, use of alternative airway devices, and changes in the practitioner's clinical practice toward difficult airway situations. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.