Beyond Success Rates: The Broader Impact of Videolaryngoscopy on Human Factors: A Conceptual Educational Review

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Published Sep 13, 2026
https://doi.org/10.62438/tunismed.v104i08.7025
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Vol. 104 No. 08 (2026): Tunis Med Aug 2026

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Issam Tanoubi
Center for Clinical Attitudes and Skills Learning (CAAHC), Center for Research in Health Education (CRPS), Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Canada
Marie-Ève Bélanger
Department of Anesthesiology, Maisonneuve Rosemont Hospital, CIUSSS de l'Est-de-l'ïle-de-Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Abstract

Videolaryngoscopy (VL) has evolved from a rescue technique for difficult tracheal intubation into an increasingly adopted first-line approach in airway management. While much of the literature has focused on technical outcomes such as intubation success rates and glottic visualization, these metrics alone may not fully capture the broader clinical implications of VL. This narrative and conceptual review explores VL beyond procedural performance, with particular emphasis on human factors, team dynamics, patient safety, and education.
By providing shared visualization of the airway, VL transforms tracheal intubation from an individual technical procedure into a collective cognitive process. This shared visual field may enhance communication, support the development of shared mental models, and improve situational awareness within interprofessional teams. These effects are especially relevant in high-risk or time-critical situations, where cognitive load, stress, and coordination failures contribute substantially to adverse events. Emerging evidence suggests that VL may help reduce perceptual errors, facilitate anticipation of complications, and support more effective crisis resource management.
Videolaryngoscopy also offers important educational advantages by enabling real-time supervision, structured feedback, and integrated teaching of both technical and non-technical skills in clinical and simulation-based settings. Concerns regarding routine VL use, including the potential erosion of direct laryngoscopy skills and the relatively low incidence of catastrophic airway events, are also discussed from a patient-centred and ethical perspective.
Videolaryngoscopy should therefore not be evaluated solely through the lens of procedural success rates. Its broader contributions to patient safety, teamwork, human factors, and education support its growing role as a central component of contemporary airway management.

Keywords:

Videolaryngoscopy, Airway management, Human factors, Patient safety, Crisis resource management, Medical education

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