Clinical Ethics and End-of-Life Care require specific knowledge and expertise – and probably also a particular temperament. During this e-Course participants will learn how to assess the severity of illness and prognosis, consider relevant ethical, legal, religious, and cultural issues, communicate effectively with patients, relatives and medical staff and minimise their distress, boost team-working, and make clear decisions in accordance with the patients’ wishes.
After registering for the event, ensure you access the dedicated online classroom on the ESICM Academy.
Registrations closed.
Directors
Carole BOULANGER – ACCP/RN, Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom;
Andrej MICHALSEN – MD, MPH, consultant in Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, Konstanz General Hospital, Konstanz, Germany. Section on Ethics member, European Society of Intensive Care Medicine
Endorsement: The Clinical Ethics and End-of-Life Care e-Course is endorsed by the Ethics Section of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine.
Objectives
To understand the ethical principles that influence the care of critically ill patients.
To identify and discuss the importance of setting goals of care before initiating limitations of life-sustaining treatments in the critically ill patient and to develop strategies to ensure these goals are achieved.
To describe how ethical reasoning should be applied to the process of withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment.
To explain the holistic aspects of palliative care of the critically ill patient.
To recognise how communication, shared decision making and ethical climate all influence the quality of end-of-life care for patients, their families and healthcare professionals.
To understand the impact that cultural diversity may have on the beliefs and values of patients, their families, and/or their legal representatives.
To recognise how ethical principles and ethical reasoning can be applied when the prioritisation of critical care resources are required.
To understand the importance of communication skills in end-of-life and palliative care and to be introduced to educational tools that may be used to teach and improve these communication skills.
To understand how the use of guidelines on end-of-life and palliative care, may improve the quality of dying and death for critically ill adults in intensive care units, minimize the adverse effects of the experience on families, support the well-being of healthcare professionals, and serve as a resource for hospital administrators and healthcare policymakers.
Programme Content
Ethical principles and reasoning
Ethical climate in ICUs
Indication and prognostication
Communication and shared decision-making regarding end-of-life care
The role of palliative care
Principles and practice of limiting life-sustaining treatments
Prioritization of scarce resources
Target
Junior physicians, nurses and allied healthcare professionals with an ICU background or a special interest in Clinical Ethics and End-of-Life Care
Senior intensivists seeking for a review on the topic
Support Emerging Nations and Eastern Europe
ESICM members from the Emerging Nations and Eastern Europe (see list of countries here) are entitled to an discount on registration fees. To qualify, participants must be active ESICM members for the current year. To become a member, please see more information here.
Accreditation
An application will be made to the UEMS EACCME® for CME accreditation of this event.
Highlights from previous editions
2023
27 participants from 14 countries engaged in highly interactive debates on ethical reasoning, palliative care, limitation of LST, shared decision-making, prioritisation of scarce resources and much more. Here are some of their comments on this immersive educational format:
I learned a lot or got confirmation I’m working well and it was good to hear how all this works around the world.
I think it’s much more difficult to organise an online event like this was, than a live one, and I would like to say that the faculty did this excellently, you could see how coordinated and dedicated they were.
I am deeply impressed with the quality, support, respect and interactivity of this course. I will recommend it to colleagues.
I was really impressed by your enthusiasm and collaborative teamwork among European ICU professionals. I will dedicate myself to fostering ‘ethical climate’ in Japan.
Friendly environment, well-structured and easy to follow.
There were many participants and faculty from many different parts of the world which brought more diversity to the experience. The open discussions were extremely useful.
Firstly it gave me a good understanding which will give me more confidence in having these discussions in my practice, putting the patient’s best interests first.
Secondly, the importance of a multidisciplinary approach, including the patients’ family and friends, to this was reinforced and I will always do this when I am faced with these scenarios.
Thirdly, I will try to impart some of what I learnt to my colleagues.
2022
A total of 10 experts and 36 participants from 14 countries engaged in highly interactive debates on ethical reasoning, palliative care, limitation of LST, shared decision-making, prioritisation of scarce resources and much more. Here are some of their comments on this immersive educational format:
Really interesting day, very useful!
It was really an inspiring experience. Thank you for these great two days!
It’s been a pleasure to attend this e-Master Class. Thank you all for these very fruitful two days.
2021
Despite the uncertain context, the second edition of the End-of-Life Care Master Class has just wrapped up, this time virtually! A total of 10 experts and 76 participants from 26 countries engaged in interactive activities and case-based discussions. Here are some of their comments on this innovative educational format:
Highly recommended course. I could share my experiences and learn from experts.
The academy was amazing. I’m more enlightened. Thank you!
I was very happy to see that my dilemmas are common, that my problems are common too.
My ideas were challenged and I feel refreshed and enlightened.
Thank you all for perfect and inspirative 2 days.
Very stimulating, provocative full of inspiration and even therapeutic at some moments! Thanks to everyone. It’s been a very informative and thought-provoking 2 days.
2019
The 1st edition of End-of-Life Care has just wrapped up. A total of 9 experts and 42 participants from 18 countries came together for 2 days at the ESICM Training Centre in Brussels. Here are some of their comments on what they liked best:
Meeting like-minded colleagues -feel less isolated in thinking.
Insight into cultural, religious, country differences and similarities re topic.
Multinational course Learning from other professionals, good open discussions and debates.
Approachability of directors and faculty. All the participants were rather experienced, so the level of the discussions was very high and it was great to meet so many people from different countries and to learn about their different perceptions of ethical issues in the ICU.
Excellent, experienced, enthusiastic faculty, still humble and open to new thoughts and ideas! The topic is of utmost importance to the field.
Finally,- finalement – endlich has the ESICM organised a Masterclass on this topic. Thanks a lot for that.