Anaesthesia
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Management of the airway is central to the practice of anaesthesia, yet trainees frequently feel poorly trained in this area. A large range of skills needs to be acquired, but there are often problems providing training on live patients. We review the different modalities available for training and assessment in airway management.
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Multicenter Study
Attitudes of patients and anaesthetists to informed consent for specialist airway techniques.
We investigated the attitudes of 96 patients and 163 anaesthetists to the need for obtaining informed consent before specialist airway techniques. Participants were asked to score six questions using a numerical scale, as to whether they thought consent was necessary before specific procedures, particularly in relation to fibreoptic intubation used for teaching or maintaining skills. ⋯ Overall, patients felt that specific consent was required for non-routine techniques, whilst anaesthetic respondents felt this was unnecessary, even if teaching. We conclude that guidance in obtaining consent is needed to support anaesthetists wishing to practice or teach fibreoptic intubation.