Simulation-Based Airway Training and Resident Performance Outcomes: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Airway management is a core anesthesiology competency in which rare, high-stakes failures are difficult to teach through clinical exposure alone, making simulation an increasingly central component of resident training. This review synthesizes the comparative evidence on simulation-based airway training, from foundational systematic reviews contrasting simulation with non-simulation instruction to recent randomized trials evaluating specific technical and crisis-management curricula. The literature shows consistent gains in technical skill acquisition for difficult airway and rescue procedures, and in adherence to structured crisis algorithms, though evidence linking simulated performance directly to patient-level outcomes remains comparatively limited. Deliberate practice and mastery learning frameworks, including rapid cycle deliberate practice, appear to improve retention of simulated skills relative to single-exposure training models, addressing one of the field's persistent weaknesses. We conclude that residency programs benefit most from simulation curricula built around repeated, criterion-based practice with structured debriefing, with non-technical crisis resource management skills warranting comparable curricular emphasis to manual technique.