Date of Award
12-2025
Degree Type
Dissertation/Thesis
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
School
Leadership and Advanced Nursing Practice
Committee Chair
Dr. Mary Jane Collins
Committee Chair School
Leadership and Advanced Nursing Practice
Committee Member 2
Dr. Jessica Miley
Committee Member 2 School
Leadership and Advanced Nursing Practice
Committee Member 3
Dr. Michong Rayborn
Committee Member 3 School
Leadership and Advanced Nursing Practice
Abstract
Airway management is one of the fundamental pillars of anesthesia. Traditionally, tools such as the Mallampati classification and the thyromental distance are used for airway assessment in the perioperative area. However, often, these methods fail to reliably predict difficult intubations. The use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has emerged as a valuable adjunct in airway assessment. However, a knowledge deficit exists among anesthesia providers regarding its application in airway assessments for perioperative adult patients. This doctoral project addressed the knowledge deficit in POCUS airway assessment among Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) and Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNAs) through the development and implementation of an evidence-based educational intervention.
This doctoral project was supported by Adult Learning Theory and Miller’s Framework for Clinical Assessment, which provided the foundation for its design. A structured educational module was developed and paired with an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) to evaluate competency in ultrasound-based airway assessment. Eight participants engaged in a didactic module followed by a hands-on OSCE that was focused on anatomical identification, preoperative airway assessment, such as the distance from skin-to-epiglottis (DSE) and the hyomental distance ratio (HMDR), and endotracheal tube (ETT) confirmation. Pre- and post-test surveys were completed before and after the training.
Statistical analysis indicated significant gains in participants’ knowledge, confidence, and practical skills, with improvements reaching significance across all measured domains (p < .01). Importantly, none of the participants reported prior formal instruction in POCUS airway assessment, underscoring the effect of the intervention. Following the training, participants reported higher confidence in recognizing airway anatomy, conducting ultrasound-based measurements, and confirming endotracheal tube placement.
These findings highlight the effectiveness of structured, competency-based ultrasound education in anesthesia training. Broader adoption of POCUS training has the potential to reduce airway-related complications, strengthen patient safety, and enhance provider confidence. Collectively, the results support the integration of POCUS airway training into anesthesia education.
Copyright
Austin Fike, Trevor Jordan, and Sam Sherrill III, 2025
Recommended Citation
Fike, Austin; Jordan, Trevor; and Sherrill, Sam III, "Advancing Anesthesia Provider Proficiency in Airway Assessment Using Point-of-Care Ultrasound: An OSCE-Based Educational Initiative" (2025). Doctoral Projects. 290.
https://aquila.usm.edu/dnp_capstone/290
Included in
Anesthesiology Commons, Critical Care Commons, Emergency Medicine Commons, Perioperative, Operating Room and Surgical Nursing Commons, Respiratory System Commons