EDUCATIONAL NEEDS IN ADVANCED AIRWAY MANAGEMENT AMONG PRIMARY CARE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY ON KNOWLEDGE, SELF-PERCEIVED COMPETENCE, AND TRAINING NEEDS.

Background: Advanced airway management is a critical component of advanced life support (ALS). Supraglottic airway devices (SADs) represent an effective and safe alternative to endotracheal intubation in emergency settings, particularly in Primary Care (PC), where low exposure to critical situations favors skills decay. The objective is to analyze the baseline level of theoretical knowledge and self-perceived ability regarding SADs management among PC physicians and nurses.

Methods This quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted in primary care (PC) health centers within the Castellón Health Department, Spain. The study included 92 PC healthcare professionals. Data were collected using an ad hoc digital questionnaire that had previously been validated by 14 experts, achieving an overall Scale-level Content Validity Index (S-CVI) of 0.93. Descriptive and bivariate inferential analyses were performed using Pearson’s chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, and the Mann–Whitney U test. Statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05.

Results: Of the participants, 64.1% had ≥10 years of professional experience. Overall, a substantial knowledge deficit was identified, with 82.6% of participants failing the test (<5 correct answers) and error rates exceeding 70–80% for key clinical items. Years of professional experience (p=0.956), professional category (p=0.674), and educational level (p=0.793) were not significantly associated with test performance. Sex was the only variable significantly associated with performance (p=0.046), with women showing a higher pass rate than men (21.5% vs. 4.0%). Self-perceived competence was moderate, with a mean score of 3.17 out of 5.

Conclusions: There is a notable deficit in conceptual knowledge regarding SADs in PC that is not compensated for by professional seniority, demonstrating a lack of correlation between perceived competence and technical performance. This justifies the implementation of periodic training programs based on clinical simulation to ensure critical patient safety.