An observational study in Airway Assessment, sponsored by Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. Not yet recruiting. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-21.
Sponsored by Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz · Observational
This international, multicenter, observational survey study aims to assess current clinical practices in preoperative airway assessment in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland at both the institutional and individual anesthesiologist levels.
The study focuses on the use of individual airway assessment parameters versus combined assessment scores, as well as current documentation practices. An initial survey will establish baseline practices before the anticipated publication of the updated German Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine (DGAI) guidelines in 2028. A follow-up survey will be conducted after guideline publication to evaluate potential changes in clinical practice.
The study aims to identify differences between the three participating countries and assess changes in airway assessment and documentation practices following the publication of the updated guidelines.
This international, observational study employs a repeated cross-sectional survey design with two data collection periods before and after the anticipated publication of the updated German Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine (DGAI) guidelines in 2028.
Two structured questionnaires will assess preoperative airway assessment practices at the institutional and individual clinician levels in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
The institutional questionnaire will evaluate standardized preoperative airway assessment protocols, institutional practices, and documentation requirements. The individual questionnaire will investigate anesthesiologists' use of individual clinical assessment parameters, multivariable airway assessment scores, and documentation of airway assessment findings.
Descriptive and comparative analyses will examine variations in preoperative airway assessment practices across participating countries and between the two survey periods. Particular emphasis will be placed on changes in the use of individual assessment parameters versus multivariable assessment scores, institutional standardization, and documentation practices following guideline publication.
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz is the lead sponsor of 156 studies on the registry; 21 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
The study population includes licensed physicians practicing anesthesiology and anesthesiology departments in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Institutional recruitment targets university hospitals, tertiary care hospitals, selected hospital networks (Asklepios, Helios, Schön Kliniken, church-affiliated hospitals, and BG Kliniken), and ambulatory surgical centers providing anesthesiology services.
Recruitment will be conducted through institutional and professional email distribution lists, direct invitations, QR codes displayed in hospitals, and designated information booths at anesthesiology conferences.
Participation is voluntary and requires informed consent for the collection and processing of pseudonymized survey data. Responses containing clearly implausible information will be excluded from analysis.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Institutions
Hospitals in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland with an established department of anesthesiology.
Ambulatory surgical centers providing exclusively outpatient surgical care and involving anesthesiology services.
Anesthesiologists currently practicing in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland, including residents in anesthesiology and board-certified anesthesiologists.
Exclusion Criteria:
Institutions
Hospitals without an anesthesiology department.
Ambulatory surgical centers without anesthesiology services.
Institutions located outside Germany, Austria, or Switzerland.
Physicians not currently practicing anesthesiology.
Anesthesiologists practicing exclusively outside Germany, Austria, or Switzerland.
Individuals who do not provide informed consent to participate in the survey.
Anesthesiology departments in hospitals across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland participating in an institutional survey assessing standardized preoperative airway assessment protocols, clinical practices, and documentation requirements.
Procedure: Structured Survey on Preoperative Airway Assessment
Practicing anesthesiologists in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland participating in an individual survey assessing the use of clinical airway assessment parameters, multivariable airway assessment scores, and documentation practices.
Procedure: Structured Survey on Preoperative Airway Assessment
Structured questionnaire-based assessment of institutional and individual preoperative airway assessment practices, conducted before and after publication of the updated DGAI guidelines.
Use of Individual Airway Assessment Parameters Versus Combined Assessment Scores in Clinical Practice
Proportion of participating anesthesiology departments in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland using individual clinical assessment parameters, multivariable airway assessment scores, or a combination of both for preoperative airway assessment, as determined by a structured institutional questionnaire.
Time frame: Baseline survey, prior to publication of the updated DGAI guidelines (anticipated in 2028).
Differentiation of Predictors According to Airway Management Technique
Proportion of respondents differentiating between predictors of difficult face-mask ventilation, difficult supraglottic airway placement or ventilation, difficult tracheal intubation, and difficult emergency front-of-neck airway access during preoperative airway assessment.
Time frame: Baseline survey (2026-2027)
Documentation of Airway Assessment Findings
Proportion of participating institutions and individual anesthesiologists reporting standardized, non-standardized, or no documentation of preoperative airway assessment findings, including the use of structured electronic or paper-based documentation systems.
Time frame: Baseline survey (2026-2027)
Quality Assurance of Preoperative Airway Assessment
Proportion of participating anesthesiology departments reporting established quality assurance measures for preoperative airway assessment, including audits, standardized review procedures, or other institutional quality monitoring processes.
Time frame: Baseline survey (2026-2027)
Changes in Airway Assessment Practices Following Guideline Publication
Differences in the proportions of participating institutions and individual anesthesiologists reporting the use of individual assessment parameters versus combined scores, differentiation of predictors by airway management technique, standardized documentation practices, and quality assurance measures between the baseline and follow-up surveys.
Time frame: Baseline survey (2026-2027) and follow-up survey after publication of the updated DGAI guidelines (anticipated in 2028)
No study locations are listed for this record.
Plan to share: No — Individual participant data will not be made publicly available due to data protection considerations and the potential risk of re-identification. Aggregated and anonymized study results may be shared through scientific publications and conference presentations.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Oct 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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