Level 2: Consolidating Clinical Practice

Liesbet DE BUS MD PhD, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent; Department of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

Ricard 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

By the end of this level, participants will be able to:

Understand

• Explain sepsis, severe infections, septic shock, and their impact on patient outcomes.
• Describe antimicrobial resistance, stewardship principles, infection control, and the role of diagnostics in guiding therapy.
• Summarize microbiological testing, susceptibility testing, and diagnostic pathways for critically ill patients.

Apply

• Identify patients at risk and initiate timely management (antibiotics, fluids, vasopressors) using available diagnostics.
• Use diagnostics and microbiology results to guide antimicrobial therapy and source control.
• Apply antimicrobial pharmacology (PK/PD) for ICU dosing and administration.
• Implement stewardship principles: right drug, dose, route, and timing.

Analyze

• Interpret clinical, hemodynamic, and microbiology/diagnostic data to optimize treatment and escalation.
• Assess antimicrobial use, treatment response, and infection sources in the context of diagnostic results.
• Balance diagnostic uncertainty with timely intervention and stewardship goals.

Evaluate

• Integrate guidelines, local policies, and surveillance data into patient-centered decisions informed by diagnostics.
• Review antimicrobial prescribing and sepsis/severe infection management to optimize outcomes.
• Reflect on multidisciplinary roles in improving care and reducing antimicrobial resistance.

Overall: Apply antimicrobial stewardship and sepsis/severe infection management strategies in critical care, using diagnostics to guide decisions, improve outcomes, and reduce resistance.

The programme targets doctors, clinical pharmacists, nurses and allied healthcare professionals working in ICU, and will support them in their efforts of continuous professional development and learning continuum, undertaken to provide appropriate care to their patients.

These events are part of National Conferences in the pilot countries: Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, and the UK, and are delivered by joint faculties, combining ESICM international experts with local experts. The programme offers intermediate-level, case-based training in antimicrobial stewardship, sepsis, and severe infection management.

• Krakow, Poland – 9 April 2026
  Part of: National Critical Care Conference
  Supported by: Polish Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy (PTAiIT)
• Porto, Portugal – 9 May 2026
  Part of: Portuguese Intensive Care Conference
  Supported by: Portuguese Society of Intensive Care (SPCI)
• Sinaia, Romania – 17 May 2026
  Part of: Romanian National Anaesthesia & Intensive Care Conference
  Supported by: Romanian Society of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care (SRATI)
• Stockholm, Sweden – 22 September 2026
  Part of: Swedish Intensive Care Conference
  Supported by: Swedish Society of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care (SFAI)
• Timisoara, Romania – 3 October 2026
  Part of: International Course on Guidelines and Protocols in Anaesthesia, Intensive Care, and Emergency Medicine (GPATI) Conference
  Supported by: Romanian Society of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care (SRATI)

Programme Highlights

• Introduction to principles of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), severe infection, and sepsis
• Threat from antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
• Epidemiology of severe infection and sepsis
• Antimicrobial therapy at the heart of infection management
• Pillars of AMS and its role in critical care
• Case-based learning:
  • Case 1 – Diagnosis focus
  • Case 2 – Antimicrobial PK/PD
  • Case 3 – Fungal sepsis
  • Case 4 – AMS 
  • case 5 – Sepsis: refractory shock

Key Features

• Focused on intermediate-level skills in antimicrobial stewardship, sepsis, and severe infection management.
• Delivered by joint ESICM and local faculty teams
• Integrated into national conferences for local engagement and networking
• Interactive, case-based approach emphasizing diagnostics, therapy, and stewardship

An application will be made to the UEMS EACCME® for CME accreditation of this event.