A European and global perspective  on airway management education and assessment- Results from the World Airway Management Meeting Questionnaire.

The 2015 Difficult Airway Society Guidelines [1], and the German Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine Guidelines on Airway Management [2] advocate advanced airway techniques, including videolaryngoscopy, fibreoptic intubation and emergency front of neck access. An airway education questionnaire was distributed before the World Airway Management Meeting in November 2015. This allowed comparisons of how airway equipment, education and assessment varies globally. We report the European results.

Results
2363 responses were from respondents in European countries (48%, n=4921).  

Availability of airway management guidelines was greater in European than non European countries (73.4% vs 56.4%, p<0.001). Equipment availability is better in European than non-European countries. (see Table 1 in poster)
Eighty three per cent of European respondents received airway training, (84.9% all respondents). Frequency of training provision was similar in Europe to the rest of the world; (65% frequent, 29% infrequent and 5.4% training not provided). Most (76.9%) report supervised teaching in the operating room (OR) as the most common form of airway education, followed by workshops (12.6%) then self taught in the OR 8.7%.

Fewer European respondents felt airway management should be assessed than non European (87% vs 94%, p<0.0001). Mandatory airway education for trainees was compulsory for completion of training by 55.8% of respondents.  Just 28.5% felt it was required for continuation of medical education in consultants. 

Availability of equipment is better in European countries, but do we know how to use it? 
Most respondents felt that airway management skills should be assessed. Despite this, significant numbers do not think education in airway management should be mandatory, especially for consultants. Whilst training programmes exist to train and assess trainees [3], providing ongoing education and assessment for consultants will be much more difficult.

References
1]  Frerk C, Mitchell V, McNarry AF et al. BJA 2015 115:827-48.
2]  Piepho T, Cavus E, Noppens R et al. S1 guidelines on airway management: Guideline of the German Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine.  Anaesthesist. 2015 Dec;64 Suppl 1:27-40.
3]  Royal College of Anaesthetists. http://www.rcoa.ac.uk/CCT/AnnexD

A European and global perspective on airway management education and assessment. Results from the World Airway Management Meeting Questionnaire