In rural areas of Mexico, healthcare providers face significant challenges in managing airway emergencies that can occur during surgeries, sedation during invasive procedures, and mechanical ventilation for critically ill patients. The lack of specialized training in airway management outside of anaesthesiology poses a serious risk to patient safety, particularly for neonates, infants, obstetric patients, and critically ill individuals.

This project addresses that gap by developing and piloting a two-day airway management course for rural healthcare providers in Mexico. The course integrates three innovative modes of education:

• Plan A, a serious tabletop card game to reinforce decision-making and improve non-technical skills, which was designed by collaborators at ABC Hospital in Mexico City;
• Case-based simulation to enhance skill acquisition and knowledge retention;
• AI-driven feedback to provide real-time, physician-reviewed feedback to enhance skill acquisition.

The project seeks to enhance provider confidence, knowledge, and clinical decision-making in airway emergencies, leading to safer, faster, and more effective care. By offering a replicable, low-cost training model, the project aims to later expand access to high-quality airway management education across other low-resource settings nationally and globally, ultimately improving patient outcomes and health system resilience.

“The potential impact on the care of patients in rural settings across Mexico is the most exciting aspect of this research,” said Ana Maria Crawford, MD, MSc, a lead investigator on the project and Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine. “We hope this project will pilot well and then amplify to embed into standards of training and care.”

Principal Investigators:

Ana Maria Crawford, MD, MSc, Stanford University School of Medicine
Rodrigo Rubio Martinez, MD, Medical Center ABC, Mexico

Research Team:

Samuel Castro, BS, Medical Student, Stanford University School of Medicine

Sebastian Mohar Menéndez-Aponte, MD, Anesthesia Fellow, Medical Center ABC, Mexico

Daniela Martinez-Bernal, Stanford HEART Artificial Intelligence Applied Research Team, Stanford University

Ricardo Serna-Muñoz, MD, MSc, Senior Resident, Centro Médico ABC, Department of Anesthesiology

Funder:

Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine