Intended learning outcomes include the minimum required knowledge and skills to start working in ICU safely.

Outcomes 1: The deteriorating patient

• Identify an acutely ill or deteriorating patient (in a simulated setting)
• Identify life-threatening conditions in an effective and timely fashion using the ABCDE approach (in a simulated setting)
• Stabilise and initiate treatment for a critically ill patient (in a simulated setting)
• Discuss the risks and possible pitfalls of transporting a critically ill patient
• Recognise and manage circulatory arrest and peri-arrest states (in a simulated setting)
• Describe the patient at risk of difficult intubation

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Outcomes 2: Ward round

• Demonstrate a routine daily reassessment of a patient in a structured manner (in a simulated setting)
• Effectively prescribe venous thromboembolic disease and stress ulcers prophylaxis

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Outcomes 3: Organ support

• Acute respiratory failure
• Shock and Haemodynamic monitoring
• Sepsis and septic shock
• Metabolic derangements
• Renal failure
• Nutrition
• Treatment and prevention of delirium, sedation and analgesia

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Outcomes 4: Specific pathologies in the intensive care unit

• Trauma and Surgery
• Neurological emergencies and basics of neurointensive care
• Medical emergencies

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Outcomes 5: Non-technical aspects of intensive care    

• Ethics of intensive care, end-of-life aspects
• Crisis resource management and communication in crisis

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Outcomes 6: Equipment

• Troubleshoot common issues with equipment: monitoring, arterial lines, central venous catheters, and chest drain

The course content consists of preparatory material (pre-reading) and a 2-day face-to-face course.

Part 1: Preparatory Material

Online pre-test, ICF e-book and e-learning materials as pre-reading material.

• • Key concepts in intensive care medicine
  • Organ dysfunction and support
  • Common challenges and troubleshooting in ICU
  • Appendices including ICU drug chart, useful checklists and algorithms, ICU trainee survival guide.

Part 2: Face-to-face course

• Frontal lecture: Introduction
• Workshops
  • Basics of mechanical ventilation
  • Recognition and management of shock
    
  • Interpretation of blood gases
  • Communication skills
• Interactive cases
  • Pulmonary sepsis
  • Major surgery
• Simulation scenarios
  • Medical and surgical cases
• Optional: Locally-specific lectures – ICU walk-round

Programme Director

Mo AL-HADDAD MBChB, FRCA, FFICM, EDIC, MSc (Clinical Education) – Consultant in Critical Care and Anaesthesia, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital; Honorary Professor at the University of Glasgow

Founding Experts

• Maurizio CECCONI MD, FRCA, FFICM, MD(Res) – Head of Department Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS Istituto Clinico Humanitas; Professor of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care; Vice President MEDTEC School; Humanitas University; Past-President ESICM
• Frantisek DUSKA MD, PhD, AFICM, EDIC – Associate Professor of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine at FNKV University Hospital, Prague (CZ)
• Eumorfia KONDILI MD – Prof of Intensive Care Medicine, Medical School, University of Crete, Greece. Head of Department of Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital of Heraklion
• Anne LE ROY MD – Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Charles University, Third Faculty of Medicine and FNKV University Hospital in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic. Chairperson-Elect, ESICM CoBa-Faculty
• Anne MECKLENBURG DESA, MSc (MHPE) – Senior Intensive Care Medicine Specialist, Specialist in Anaesthesiology and pre-hospital Emergency Medicine, Department of Intensive Care Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
• Frauke WEIDANZ MD – Consultant in Critical Care and Acute Medicine, NHS Lothian, Edinburgh (UK)

• Doctors newcomers to ICU
• Junior Advanced Critical Care Practitioners (ACCPs)

During 2023 we piloted the ICF course in different centers across Europe.

Consult ICF 2024 courses for the next training centers.

Here you can find information about the courses held in 2024 

If you are interested in holding a Local Event at your hospital, do not hesitate to get in touch with us at education@esicm.org

Past Local Training Events

The ICF face-to-face event has been accredited by the European Board for Accreditation of Continuing Education for Health Professionals (EBAC®) with 16 CMEs.  

Through an agreement between the European Board for Accreditation of Continuing Education for Health Professionals and the American Medical Association physicians may convert EBAC® CE credits to AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Information on the process to convert EBAC credit to AMA credit can be found on the AMA website. Other healthcare professionals may obtain from the AMA a certificate of having participated in an activity eligible for conversion of credit to AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.