Acquisition and maintenance of endoscopic skills: developing an endoscopic dexterity training system for anesthesiologists.

The acquisition and maintenance of essential psychomotor skills that are only required sporadically is a significant problem in medical training and practice. It is of particular relevance to anesthesiologists with regard to fiberoptic intubation, a technique that may be under-utilized despite its central role in the management of the difficult airway. Dexterity deficit due to current training models, dexterity decay due to lack of practice, and situational stress related to the clinical environment may combine to impede effective training and confident use of endoscopes in airway management.

Acquisition and Maintenance of Endoscopic Skills: Developing an endoscopic dexterity training system for anesthesiologists.

The acquisition and maintenance of essential psychomotor skills that are only required sporadically is a significant problem in medical training and practice. It is of particular relevance to anesthesiologists with regard to fibreoptic intubation, a technique that may be under-utilized despite its central role in the management of the difficult airway. Dexterity deficit due to current training models, dexterity decay due to lack of practice, and situational stress related to the clinical environment may combine to impede effective training and confident use of endoscopes in airway management.