• Marlies Ostermann MD, PhD Intensive Care Medicine, Guy’s & St Thomas Hospital, London, United Kingdom; RED Chair; President Elect, ESICM.
  
• Pedro Povoa MD, PhD Professor, NOVA Medical School, New University of Lisbon, Portugal; Adjunct Professor, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Research Unit of Clinical Epidemiology, OUH Odense University Hospital, Denmark; Chair of Education and Training Committee, European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; Section Editor of Intensive Care Medicine, Official Journal of ESICM; Associate Editor, RBTI, Official Journal of AMIB; Coordinator of the Intensive Care Unit 4, Dpt of Intensive Care, Hospital de São Francisco Xavier, CHLO, Lisbon, Portugal.

• Stefano Busani MD Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Department, University Hospital of Modena, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy; Chair of the Academy Sub-Committee
• Enrique Castro-Sanchez PhD MPH BSc DipTropNurs, DLSHTM, PgCert, RGN, FHEA, FEANS – Senior Lecturer in Global Challenges, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, Associate Professor in Infection Prevention and Improvement, University of West London, United Kingdom
• 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
• Vasco Costa MD Department of Critical Care Medicine, Hospital de São Francisco Xavier, Unidade Local de Saúde Lisboa Ocidental (ULSLO), Estrada Forte do Alto Duque, 1449-005 Lisbon, Portugal; NOVA Medical School, New University of Lisbon, 1169-056 Lisbon, Portugal.
• Michael Darmon MD PhD Service de Médecine Intensive et Réanimation, APHP-Hôpital Saint-Louis, Université Paris-Diderot; Chair of the Methodology Group, ESICM
• Audrey De Jong MD PhD Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care; Saint-Eloi University Hospital; Montpellier University, Montpellier, France; Past Chair Anaesthesia & Peri-operative Medicine Section, ESICM
• Ricardo Ferrer MD PhD Head of Intensive Care Department / SODIR Research group-VHIR, University Hospital Vall d’Hebron; Associate Professor University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Past Chair of Systemic Inflammation and Sepsis (SIS) Section, ESICM
• Ignacio Martin-Loeches MD PhD Multidisciplinary Intensive Care Research Organization (MICRO), St James’s University Hospital; Senior Clinical Lecturer Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, Dublin, EIRE; Past Chair Research Committee, ESICM
• Xavier Monnet MD PhD Professor of Intensive Care, Medical Intensive Care Unit, Bicêtre Hospital, Paris-Saclay University Hospitals, Paris, France; Past Chair Cardiovascular Dynamics Section, ESICM
• Alexandru Nica MD Medico-surgical ICU, Compiègne Noyon Hospital, Compiègne, France; Chair EDIC Sub-committee, ESICM
• Michel Slama MD PhD Medical Intensive Care, DRIME department in University Hospital of Amiens, Amiens, France, Chair of EDEC
• Arzu Topeli, MD MSc Professor of Medicine, Medical Intensive Care Unit, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkiye; Chair of CoBaTrICE and Curriculum Development Committee, ESICM

Note: Taskforce members change according to the studies proposed or ongoing.

COVID-19 Skills PrepAration CoursE

• Principal investigator: Maurizio Cecconi
• Background:
  During the initial phase of the pandemic, healthcare professionals faced difficulties due to the limited availability of comprehensive learning resources on managing patients affected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The COVID-19 Skills Preparation Course was tailored to meet the overwhelming demand for specialized training.
• Objectives:
  • To assess the efficacy and impact of COVID-19 Skills Preparation Course on enhancing clinical knowledge and to identify factors affecting this improvement.
  • To generate evidence on the cost-effectiveness of crisis-response training and to analyse crisis management models, highlighting how scientific organisations enable rapid knowledge mobilisation and system preparedness during emergencies.
• Methods:
  Mixed-method evaluation combining educational outcomes, clinical knowledge assessment, and economic and cost-effectiveness analyses across international healthcare settings. After the descriptive statistics, multiple and multivariate logistic regression models were executed to identify the factors associated with knowledge increase. Moreover, a societal economic evaluation and Return on investment was calculated through deterministic modelling and validated using probabilistic sensitivity analysis across a range of plausible scenarios, including variations in patient throughput, training efficacy, and healthcare system parameters.
• Publications:
  • Schaller SJ, Mellinghoff J, Cecconi M; on behalf of the C19_Space Taskforce members, ESICM. Education to save lives: C19SPACE, the COVID19 Skills PrepAration CoursE. Intensive Care Med. 2022;48(2):227-230. doi:10.1007/s00134-021-06591-z
    Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35013749/
  • Appiah JA, Barth A, McGloughlin S, Cecconi M, Diaz JV. Global impact: WHO and ESICM collaboration in launching the COVID-19 skills preparation course. Intensive Care Med. 2024;50(8):1372-1374. doi:10.1007/s00134-024-07469-6
    Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38916745/
  • Cecconi M, Barth A, Szőllősi GJ, et al. The impact of the massive open online course C19_SPACE during the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical knowledge enhancement: a study among medical doctors and nurses. Intensive Care Med. 2024;50(11):1841-1849. doi:10.1007/s00134-024-07652-9
    Available from:  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39347807/
  • Ebm C, Istrate M, Van Gelder F, et al. Return on investment of rapid ICU workforce upskilling: an economic and cost-effectiveness analysis. Intensive Care Med. 2025;51(8):1453-1461. doi:10.1007/s00134-025-08033-6
    Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40689971/

Learning about Infection, Sepsis, and Antimicrobial Stewardship

• Principal investigator: Enrique Castro-Sanchez
• Background: Infections and sepsis are serious problems in hospitals, especially in intensive care units. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that happens when the body overreacts to an infection, which can lead to organ failure and death if not treated quickly. At the same time, overusing antibiotics can make infections harder to treat because bacteria become resistant to them. This is called antimicrobial resistance and is a growing global health issue. The LISA study looks at how well the ESICM Learning Pathway helps healthcare workers such as doctors, nurses, and pharmacists learn how to prevent and manage infections, treat sepsis, and use antibiotics wisely. The study will find out how much people learn from the training and how it helps them in their jobs. The results will help improve future training so that healthcare workers can provide safer and better care for patients.
• Objectives:
  • To determine the effectiveness of ESICM educational intervention in improving healthcare professionals’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to sepsis, severe infections, and AMS.
  • To assess the influence of educational interventions on healthcare professionals’ self-efficacy, clinical practice, and patient outcomes in the areas targeted by education.
  • To identify areas of improvement for educational intervention and optimise its design and delivery.
  • To gather evidence to support the dissemination, adoption, and scale-up of educational interventions.
• Methods: A multiple-method approach combining qualitative and quantitative data collection. This approach includes interviews to explore participants’ experiences and perspectives, alongside structured surveys to gather measurable data from a broader sample.

Simulation and Interactive Learning through Virtual reality and Escape Room

• Principal investigator: Alexandru Nica
• Background:
  Innovative technologies such as virtual reality and medical escape room have emerged as potent tools next to the well-established simulation-based training to enhance the learning experience for healthcare professionals. These technologies offer immersive and interactive learning environments that can replicate real-life scenarios, allowing learners to practice and refine their skills in a safe and controlled setting. The implementation of these technologies not only facilitates the acquisition of new clinical skills and consolidates experience but also fosters critical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving abilities, which are crucial for effective medical practice. Despite the growing interest in innovative educational tools, there remains a lack of robust evidence supporting the effectiveness of escape rooms and virtual reality in postgraduate training, specifically in intensive care.
• Objectives:
  The study evaluates the impact and effectiveness of three face to face different interactive educational modalities in postgraduate intensive care medicine: 3D virtual reality, ESCAPE Room Simulation, Traditional simulation-based training.
• Methods:
  A multiple-method approach combining qualitative and quantitative data collection. This approach includes interviews to explore participants’ experiences and perspectives, alongside structured surveys to gather measurable data from a broader sample.

Virtual reality training in Intensive Care To Optimize knowledge & skills Retention In Achieving better clinical practice

• Principal investigator: Xavier Monnet
• Background:
  The World Health Organization estimates that there will be a shortage of >10 million healthcare professionals by 2030, raising a major public health concern and a threat to quality care delivery. Nurses and physicians’ shortages have been reported for decades, and the situation has worsened especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has strongly impacted healthcare workers that have been caring for COVID-19 patients, often under high levels of stress for sustained periods of time. The global shortage of intensive care doctors highlights the need for efficient and scalable training methods. Digital education, including virtual reality, provides new opportunities for interactive and flexible learning.  
• Objectives:
  • To evaluate the effectiveness of two digital educational modalities (online conventional training and web-based self-paced virtual reality training) on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of critical care physicians.
  • To investigate the carbon footprints of three distinct training modalities: in-person alternative distance training, online training, and web-based virtual reality training.
• Methods:
  A multiple-method approach combining qualitative and quantitative data collection. This approach includes interviews to explore participants’ experiences and perspectives, alongside structured surveys to gather measurable data from a broader sample. Moreover, to evaluate the predicted CO₂ footprint of the three different educational modalities, an analysis was conducted to estimate and compare CO₂ emissions associated with each scenario. The analyses were standardized to calculate the total CO₂ equivalent (kg CO₂) for each scenario, enabling an accurate evaluation.