Simulation-based workshop for emergency preparedness in otolaryngology

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of a hands-on simulation-based course with emphasis on procedural techniques, clinical reasoning, and communication skills developed to improve junior Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS) residents' preparedness in managing otolaryngologic emergencies. Methods: Junior OHNS residents and faculty from residency programs in California, Nevada, and Arizona participated in this workshop in 2020 and 2021. The stations featured airway management techniques, ultrasound-guided needle aspiration, nasoseptal hematoma evacuation, and facial fracture repair using various models and cadavers. Participants completed a pre-workshop survey, post-workshop survey, and 2-month follow-up survey that assessed resident anxiety and confidence in three OHNS emergency situations across knowledge, manual skills, and teamwork using a 5-point Likert scale. Results: Pre-workshop surveys reported the least anxiety and most confidence in teamwork, but the most anxiety and least confidence in technical skills and knowledge related to foreign body retrieval and airway management. Immediately post-workshop participants reported significant reductions in anxiety and increases in confidence, largest in the manual skills domain, in foreign body retrieval (anxiety: −0.99, confidence: +0.95, p