Factors associated with intensive care professionals' ability to identify patient–ventilator asynchronies: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Patient-ventilator asynchrony is common in critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation, and timely recognition is essential for safe ventilatory management. However, factors associated with intensive care professionals' ability to identify these events have not been systematically synthesized. OBJECTIVE: To identify and synthesize factors associated with intensive care professionals' ability to identify patient-ventilator asynchronies through a systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: statistic, and leave-one-out sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the influence of individual studies. Publication bias was explored using funnel plots. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Certainty of evidence was assessed using the GRADE approach. RESULTS: = 68%). No significant association was observed according to profession. Overall, most studies were at low risk of bias, although some methodological limitations were identified, and the certainty of the evidence was low. CONCLUSION: Previous training in mechanical ventilation and advanced academic training were associated with improved identification of patient-ventilator asynchronies among intensive care professionals. However, the available evidence remains limited and heterogeneous. IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE: General training in mechanical ventilation is associated with improved recognition of patient-ventilator asynchrony in clinical practice. Specific training in waveform interpretation alone may be insufficient. Standardized and clinically integrated training approaches may support improved detection of asynchrony in intensive care settings.