[Needs Assessment for Optimizing Airway Management Nursing Education: Application of the Importance-Performance Analysis and Locus for Focus Model].

Background: Airway-related incidents, common in clinical settings, are characterized by high urgency and complexity. Failure to manage these incidents promptly can pose serious threats to patient safety. However, many of these incidents can be prevented through the effective implementation of airway management education.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to identify the priority educational needs of airway management for nurses to enhance clinical practice and reduce the risk of adverse events.

Methods: A cross-sectional design was employed and 100 nurses from a medical center in northern Taiwan were enrolled as participants. Data were collected via an online questionnaire and analyzed using importance-performance analysis (IPA), Borich's Needs Score, and the Locus for Focus (LF) model, all of which have previously been shown to be effective in identifying educational priorities.

Results: Items identified as top-priority educational needs were respectively located in Quadrant II of the IPA model, ranked among the top-10 in terms of Borich's Needs Score, and situated in Quadrant I of the LF model. The results highlighted "rapid sequence intubation procedures" and "treatment of respiratory failure" as the areas in most need of attention.

Conclusions: The results of this study support that significant gaps exist between the perceived importance and self-assessed performance of nurses with regard to airway management. In this study, these gaps were most significant in the dimensions of rapid sequence intubation procedures and respiratory failure treatment. Targeted, outcome-focused educational programs are recommended to address these gaps to improve patient safety and the quality of clinical nursing care.