Simulation training in airway fire safety for certified registered nurse anesthetists

Background: Airway fire (AF) is a rare, sentinel event that certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNA) may not be fully prepared to manage due to lack of mandatory intermittent training and clinical experience. Methods: This quality improvement (QI) project used a pretest, post-test, repeated measures design to assess whether CRNAs’ knowledge and technical skills in AF management improved 3 months after simulation-based education and training. Results: Compared to preimplementation baseline scores, mean knowledge score and task completion competency increased by 20% (p < .001) and 12% (p = .002) respectively, and mean time-to-scenario completion decreased by 13.3 seconds (p < .001) 3 months postimplementation. Conclusion: AF training increased CRNA knowledge and technical skills necessary for managing an AF.

Duke Scholars

Author Nicole Blodgett School of Nursing