Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the difficult airway management related knowledge, attitudes and practices amongst physicians and nurses working in the emergency departments of Pakistan.
Method: A web-based questionnaire was distributed nationwide amongst physicians and nurses working in emergency departments nationwide.
Results: There were 81 respondents for this in-term analysis. Most (70.4%) have practised emergency medicine for less than five years. 85.2% said their hospital had an EM training program. The majority (75.3%) preferred the RSI approach to managing airways in the emergency room. The average number of endotracheal intubations handled in a month and the average number of unexpectedly difficult intubations encountered in 100 cases were respectively 16.06±15.27 and 12.66±16.36. The exact steps of the ASA difficult airway algorithm were known to 60.5% of the responders. In terms of managing difficult airways, 39.5% of respondents felt competent.
Conclusion: There is a lack of institutional and nationwide guidelines regarding airway practices due to lack of formal training programs. The study identified the gaps in theoretical knowledge amongst physicians, highlighting the need for regular and formal training as currently most physicians are guided by clinical experience.
Key words: airway, difficult, emergency medicine, Pakistan.
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