Enhancing Cricothyrotomy Competence through Simulation-Based Education

Abstract

Cricothyrotomy is a crucial skill when intubation and ventilation fail; however, providers often lack the confidence to perform it. This project explored the effects of education and hands-on simulation on improving the knowledge and confidence of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNAs) in performing cricothyrotomy. The purpose of this project was to assess how educational presentations, and hands-on simulation could improve the knowledge and confidence of CRNAs and SRNAs in performing cricothyrotomy. The project involved pre-and post-assessments to measure knowledge and comfort levels before and after a short educational presentation and simulation session. After the training, participants showed notable improvements in both their knowledge, which increased by 26%, and their confidence, which rose by 5.48 points on a 10-point scale. The results suggest that simulation-based education is an effective way to increase the knowledge and comfort of anesthesia providers with cricothyrotomy. While the findings are promising, the study was limited by a small sample size and a short follow-up period. Future research could focus on longer follow-up periods and testing different simulation materials to further refine training approaches