Value of real life (in-SIUT) simulation training for tracheal intubation skills in medical undergraduates during short duration anaesthesia rotation

Introduction: Endotracheal intubation is a life saving procedure, the training of which require to gain several competencies simultaneously. It becomes more challenging when we have to deliver the key concepts in a limited period of time. The medium fidelity simulator is a valuable tool of training for such scenarios. For this purpose we aim to compare the efficacy of structured training in endotracheal intubation between real life simulation and the conventional teaching method. Methods: The year 4 medical students rotating in anaesthesia for a period of 6 months from Jun - Dec 2009 were randomly divided into Gp A who had conventional teaching and Gp B who were taught by four simulated sessions of endotracheal intubation. Performance of both the groups was observed by a person blinded to the study against a checklist on a 7 point rating scale in anaesthetized patient. Results: Total 57 students, 29 in Gp A and 28 in Gp B were rotated in the anaesthesia during the study period. Evaluation of the individual component tasks revealed that simulated group achieved a significant difference in the scoring for laryngoscope and intubation technique. (P = 0.026, 0.012) The comparison of overall competence again showed that the 64.3% of student in Gp B achieved an excellent score in comparison to Gp A in which only 41.4% achieved excellent. (P =0.049). Similarly the lesser number of students in Gp B (14.3%) require remediation as compared to the Gp A, in which the requirement was 40% . (P = 0.04) Conclusion: We conclude that all essential skills components of tracheal intubation in correct flow and sequence are acquired more efficiently by real life simulated training Keywords: Undergraduate rotation, Tracheal intubation, Real life simmulation, Anaesthesi