Just-In-Time Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice Simulation Intubation Training Among Novice Pediatric Anesthesia Trainees: A Randomized Control Study

Multiple intubation attempts in infants are potentially more harmful than previously suspected. Emerging literature suggests each additional attempt past an initial laryngoscopy correlates with a two-fold increase in complications. Therefore, striving to secure the neonate/infant airway on the first attempt is optimal for infant safety. Novice trainees lack experience with airway management in small children. To promote a patient safety culture among the multitude of rotating trainees at Boston Children's Hospital the investigators would like to augment airway management with Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice Simulation Training (RCDP). Rotating trainees at BCH main campus will be prospectively randomized to experimental vs. control group for intubation of neonates and infants less than or equal to 12 months of age. Infants with known congenital heart disease, known or suspected difficult airways, or COVID-19 positive status will be excluded from the study. The experimental group will review a pre-induction airway management plan for their upcoming case and rapid cycle deliberate practice (RCDP) on a simulator with an anesthesia attending coaching on technique prior to real patient intubation. Primary outcome measure will be first attempt success rate. Other outcome measures include: complication rates, a team developed Likert scale that investigates intubation competency and utility of JIT/RCDP training, and NASA-TLX (a validated cognitive task load index).

The study would be the first to directly determine how and if simulation-based pediatric airway interventions are immediately transferable to actual clinical environments in pediatric anesthesiology. Such a study may change how training programs prepare novices for "game time" performance and become a new standard of care in airway management training.