Intensive Care Fundamentals (ICF) is a new educational initiative carefully prepared and standardised by ESICM experts to be delivered locally in local languages by ESICM-trained and certified faculty.

ICF adopts the successful hybrid education model with self-paced learning at home and an interactive face-to-face component at local level.

For the first module of self-paced learning, the trainees will have access to the Intensive Care Fundamentals book and e-learning materials that contains practically oriented essential knowledge complementary to the content of the face-to-face course.

The second module is a standardised 2-day face-to-face local course composed of:

• Interactive cases
• Workshops
• Simulations.

The formats were chosen to allow enough flexibility to tailor the training according to local practices, SOPs, and guidelines, whilst the principles of current evidence-based practices that should be common across countries and hospitals are firmly embedded in the standardised content.

The ICF local training will have a faculty composed of ICF-certified trainers and one guest core faculty.

Each ICF trainer must follow the ICF Faculty Development Day to:

• get familiar with the ICF Course content
• learn how to set it up in their hospitals and
• get certified as an ICF Trainer.

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

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

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

Outcomes 4: Specific pathologies in the intensive care unit

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

Outcomes 5: Non-technical aspects of intensive care    

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

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.

Past Local Training Events

• ICF Valetta
  Location: Simulation Centre, Mater Dei Hospital, Malta
  Dates: 18-19 September, 2023
  Number of Available Seats: 16
  Course Director: C. Mizzi
  Local Faculty: J.P. Vella, V. Koehl, A.M. Camilleri Podesta, M. Bonello, S. Sciberras, C. Tua, D.M. Bonnici
  
• ICF Krakow
  Location: Conference Centre Faculty of Medicine, ul. Sw. Lazarza 16, 31-530 Krakow
  Dates: 23-24 September, 2023
  Number of Available Seats: 8
  Course Director: W. Szczeklik
  ICF Core Faculty: J. Górka, M. Mikiewicz, I. Pabjańczyk, A. Wludarczyk
  
• ICF Glasgow
  Location: Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, ICU, Level 1, Glasgow, UK
  Dates: 20-21 June, 2023
  Number of Available Seats: 8
  Course Director: R. Allan
  ICF Core Faculty: M. Al-Haddad, F. Weidanz
  Local Faculty: S. Gaw, L. Denholm, J. Hunter
  
• ICF Prague
  Location: Prague, Czech Republic, SIM Center, 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Ruska 87
  Dates: 22-23 June, 2023
  Number of Available Seats: 16
  Course Director: F. Duska
  ICF Core Faculty: F. Duska, A. Le Roy, J. Malaska
   
• ICF Athens
  Location: University of Ioannina, Lifelong Learning Centre, International Centre of Hellenic Education, Culture and Vocational Training (DIKEPPEE-“Stavros Niarchos”), University Campus, 45110, Ioannina, Greece
  Dates: 27-28 June, 2023
  Number of Available Seats: 8
  Course Director: G.Papathanakos
  ICF Core Faculty: E. Kondyli
  
• ICF Lisbon
  Location: Lisbon, Portugal, Hospital de Sao Francisco Xavier
  Dates: 28-29 June, 2023
  Number of Available Seats: 8
  Course Director: P. Povoa
  ICF Core Faculty: A. Le Roy

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

• ICF Prague
  • Location: SIM Center, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague,
  • Dates: 5-6 February, 2024
  • Number of Available Seats: 6
  • Course Director: Frantisek Duska
  • Local Faculty: Frantisek Duska, Anne Le Roy, Jan Beneš, Dmitriy Dinaburski

• ICF Bucharest
  • Location: CESIMAB (Center of Simulation in Anaesthesia and ICM Bucharest) at Emergency Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases Prof. Dr. C.C. Iliescu,
  • Dates: 8-9 April, 2024
  • Number of Available Seats: 14
  • Course Director: Serban Bubenek; Cosmin Balan
  • Local Faculty: Antonia Coman;  Julia Stanculea; Cornel Robu; Liana Valeanu; Bianca Morosanu

• ICF Riga
  • Location: Latvijas Universitātes Zinātņu māja. Rīga, Jelgavas iela 3
  • Dates: 8-9 April, 2024
  • Number of Available Seats: 8
  • Course Director: Iveta Golubovska
  • Local Faculty: Ieva Būce-Šatoba, Edgars Vasiļjevs

• ICF Athens
  • Location: Evangelismos Hospital, Athens
  • Dates: 23-24  April, 2024
  • Number of Available Seats: 31
  • Course Director: Maria Theodorakopoulou
  • Local Faculty: see document

• ICF Vienna
  • Location: St Josef Krankenhaus, Salvatorsaal, Auhofstrasse 189, 1130 Wien
  • Dates: 14-15 June, 2024
  • Number of Available Seats: 14
  • Course Director: Christian Sitzwohl
  • Local Faculty: MartinDünser, Bernhard Rössler , Karl Schebesta, Christian Sitzwohl

• ICF Valletta
  • Location: Simulation Centre, Mater Dei Hospital, Valletta, Malta
  • Dates: 09-10 July, 2024
  • Number of Available Seats: 8
  • Course Director: Christabel Mizzi
  • Local Faculty: Verena Koehl, Joseph Paul Vella, Stephen Sciberras, Denise Mifsud Bonnici, Carl Tua, Bernice Spiteri, Adrienne Zerafa Simler

• ICF Drogheda
  • Location: Drogheda Clinical Education Centre (DCEC) at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda
  • Dates: 12-13 July, 2024
  • Number of Available Seats: 13
  • Course Director: Myles Monaghan
  • Local Faculty: Junaid Hashmi, Dinesh Kuriakose, Myles Monaghan

• ICF Dublin
  • Location: Education and Research Centre, Beaumont Hospital
  • Dates: : 10 & 17 July, 2024
  • Number of Available Seats: 8
  • Course Director: Pierce Geoghegan
  • Local Faculty: Ger Curley, Catriona Kelly, Sinead Galvin, Alan Gaffney, Caroline Larkin, Natalie McEvoy, Pierce Geoghegan

• ICF Bucharest
  • Location: Institute for Emergency Cardiovascular Diseases, Prof. Dr. C.C. Iliescu, Bucharest
  • Dates: 20-21 July, 2024
  • Number of Available Seats: 9
  • Course Directors: Cosmin Balan ; Serban Bubenek
  • Local Faculty: Cosmin Balan, Antonia Coman, Iulia Stanculea, Cornel Robu, Liana Valeanu, Bianca Morosanu, Vlad Dobre, Andrei Dumitrache

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™.