Education and simulation in airway management and rapid sequence induction

Airway management and rapid sequence induction are critical measures in emergency medicine that directly affect patient morbidity and mortality. As a result of patient- and emergency response-related factors and the critical patient state, securing the airway in emergencies should always be considered difficult. Although videolaryngoscopy contributes to safety in airway management, provider teams should be confident in using airway management strategies other than endotracheal intubation as directed by a "difficult airway algorithm." Besides securing the airway, inadequately performing rapid sequence induction in critically ill or injured patients might have a detrimental effect on the patient's condition. Therefore, proper decision making and establishment of the indication as well as structured preparation of patient, medication, and devices is of utmost importance for safe performance. Taking the interdisciplinary and multiprofessional composition of emergency medical response teams into account, the need for a standardized educational approach to prehospital emergency care is identified. This manuscript describes educational approaches as well as the role of simulation- and scenario-based training in airway management and rapid sequence induction for emergency medicine providers.