Comparison between the Standard Teaching and the Thai Version of Blended Teaching on Basic Airway Management in Siriraj Medical Students

Abstract

Objective: To compare the basic airway management skill score of Thai medical students who learned airway management utilizing blended peer-to-peer teaching with those who learned by the standard face-to-face approach. The learners’ pre- and post-learning confidence, satisfaction with the learning, and stress levels were evaluated. Materials and Methods: A randomized crossover study was conducted with third-year medical students in Thailand. Basic airway management was taught, including oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal airway insertion, and bag-mask ventilation skills. After the learning, two blinded and independent experts rated the learners on performing the procedures. Results: In total, 32 participants took part in the study. The blended group had significantly lower skill scores for oropharyngeal airway (8.69 ±1.078 and 9.69 ± 0.479, p-value 0.004) and nasopharyngeal airway (7.87 ± 1.408 and 9.38 ± 0.500, p-value 0.001) management, respectively. The bag-mask ventilation skills scores were also lower in the blended group. The confidence level was increased in both groups. Learning with the face-to-face method was found to be slightly less stressful. Overall, the majority of the students preferred learning by the standard method. Conclusion: Unlike Western students, Thai learners can learn basic airway management skills more effectively with the face-to-face instructor-led method than with the peer-oriented blended method.