PACT PROGRAMME

What is PACT  The European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) is currently producing PACT (Patient-centred Acute Care Training), a modular multidisciplinary distance-learning programme, aimed at improving and harmonising the quality of acute care medicine. PACT is being produced in electronic and paper formats.  
 
 PACT material 
 

The programme contains 44 modules. 

You can see extracts from selected modules in the demonstration 

 
The content of each module is based on real life in the ICU. Each module consists of a series of Tasks and 'Patient Challenges' (PATCH). The PATCH describes a clinical scenario (involving one or more patients) in which the user is asked to interpret the nature of problems and make management decisions. The PATCH generates 'Learning issues' which link to the Tasks. The Tasks reflect the day-to-day work of intensive care practitioners and take a patient-based problem as their starting point, rather than the more traditional 'textbook' approach. 

 
A range of interactive elements is incorporated within each module to provide a comprehensive learning experience. Users can answer Questions, reflect on their knowledge by considering THINKS, undertake Activities to apply knowledge in practice and learn from the experience of others through Anecdotes. At the end of each module there are self-assessment multiple-choice questions (MCQs).

Extra material is available in the electronic versions.

UPDATING   The electronic version of seven modules (Traumatic brain injury, Sedation, Clinical outcome, Nutrition, Arrhythmia, Pyrexia, Homeostasis) is now updated and available. 

 
HOW PACT CAN BE USED  The flexible design allows the trainee to use the programme in a variety of ways to meet his/her own particular needs. The programme can be used as preparation for the European Diploma in Intensive Care (EDIC) and other national diplomas, preparation for re-certification, an update in the practice of intensive care medicine, an in-depth course... or quick review. Trainers and course organisers within hospitals can also use PACT. When used in hospitals, a site license, is recommended.

The programme can be used in conjunction with local or national face-to-face courses. For example, The National Portuguese Society of Intensive Care and the organisers of the Jornadas de Medicina Intensiva da Primavera (JMIP) organised pre-conference courses based on PACT modules during their congress of the National Society (April 2004) and their JMIP congress (May 2004). Participants received the 'Tasks' part of modules in advance and studied these prior to the courses. The PATCH (Patient Challenges) elements was issued during the courses and used as a basis for integrating theory with practice.

 
This approach could serve as a model for other courses including the ESICM's own pre-congress courses. Furthermore PACT components have now been more specifically incorporated into the Berlin congress programme; this includes a new congress feature entitled "PACT Sessions".

FURTHER INFORMATION... FURTHER READING...  An interesting article on the PACT Programme appeared in the October 2003 issue of the Journal of the Intensive Care Society, UK. Another article also appeared in the October issue of the brand new "ICU management" Journal (Vol4, Issue2-2004-Oct-Dec) successor of Hospital Critical Care Journal (www.icu-management.org). Written by some members of the PACT Steering Committee, the article highligths the educational aspects and novel nature of the PACT programme.

 

THE SOCIETY OF CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE  SCCM designates each PACT module for up to a specified number of AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. 

To obtain US CME credit for the programme, please go to the SCCM web site to complete an evaluation

SIMULATION WORKSHOPS INCORPORATING PACT  

 Once again in Barcelona 2006 and in Berlin 2007 ESICM Congresses, Simulation workshops were organised. The PACT Modules were displayed in the electronic version and used as training scenarios to programme the simulator (Human Simulation technology from METI). A special room was devoted to run the workshops.
The workshops always meet the same success each year (positive feedback from the participants who felt that the simulation experience added to the learning experience) and will be repeated in Lisbon 2008.

This is a joint initiative of ESICM and SAInT - Berlin Simulation Training (BeST) Charite-Mitte, Germany, SimLab from University Medical Centre Groningen, Netherlands and the Scottish Clinical Simulation Centre, Scotland

FULL TEXT OF ICM REFERENCES AVAILABLE

ESICM, the Society's journal 'Intensive Care Medicine' and Springer-Verlag, the Publisher, have jointly agreed to make available to PACT electronic users the full text (pdf) of ICM articles cited in the modules (published and forthcoming).
This enhancement is already available to PACT subscribers. Please note however that if you are a member of the ESICM Society, you already benefit from the ICM journal in the price of your annual subscription (paper copies and access to Springer website via your personal ESICM login). To become a member of the Society, click here

TRANSLATION  The PACT programme is written in English; however, a pilot project is underway to translate the text of several modules (excludes images and illustrations) into Italian. So far, Arrhythmia and Pancreatitis have been translated. A subscription to the full English version is necessary in order to access the translated Italian text, as the translations are to be used in conjunction with the English version.

You can try out some selected pages from the Italian translation in the demonstration.

Discussions are on-going about translation of the programme into other languages.

INTERESTED IN SUBSCRIBING?  Look at 'how to subscribe'

THE PACT STEERING COMMITTEE  

 
Graham Ramsay (Chairman and Editor-in-Chief), Julian Bion, Charles Hinds, Dermot Phelan, Francesca Rubulotta, Jens Strøm, Arend Woittiez, Peter Angood / Janice Zimmerman (SCCM), Kathleen Brown, Lia Fluit, Suzanne Smitz-De Smet, Laurence Van den Bossche. 
The PACT Steering Committee is a subcommittee of the Education and Training Committee which is part of the Division of Professional Development, together with the Editorial and Publishing Committee.

PACT FOUNDERS AND SPONSORS  

  
The ESICM and in particular the PACT Steering Committee, acknowledges the unrestricted educational grants from the following PACT Founders and Programme Sponsors.

EXAMPLE OF SUPPORT:  Eli Lilly Nederland has provided a free site licence to 7 Dutch hospitals (OLVG, VUMC, AMC of Amsterdam, Leiden UMC, UMC St. Radboud - Nijmegen, Utrecht UMC and Academic Hospital Maastricht), through an unrestricted educational grant. Lilly Portugal also sponsored site licences for 11 hospitals in Portugal. For information about such opportunities, please contact public@esicm.org 

Do not hesitate to contact our Founders and Programme Sponsors as they might be able to help you to subscribe to the programme.  
If companies are interested in supporting the PACT programme, please do not hesitate to contact the Brussels office at PACT@esicm.org