The N&AHPs committee welcomes all health and social care professionals working in or affiliated with intensive care who are not medical doctors. To date, nurses, pharmac(olog)ists, physiotherapists, psychologists, nutritionists and other allied health professionals have joined the N&AHPs community. We share knowledge, interests, experiences, best practices, and challenges in our work.
We are motivated and aspire to empower, embrace, and engage N&AHP’s critical care clinicians worldwide.
A physiotherapist: Sabrina Eggmann, Switzerland
A pharmacist: Cathrine McKenzie, United Kingdom
Nurses are central to the care of critically ill patients, providing continuous, holistic support ranging from acute stabilisation in the ICU through recovery and follow-up. Their role combines advanced clinical care with coordination, patient advocacy, and family support. Alongside bedside care, specialised roles such as clinical respiratory or hemodynamic practitioners, infection prevention and control nurses, and advanced practice nurses are key to ensuring patient safety through surveillance, education, and implementation of evidence-based practices.
Benefits of ESICM Membership
Engaging with the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) provides nurses with access to high-quality education, a strong international network, and a wide range of professional development opportunities. Through congresses, specialised courses, and active involvement in groups such as the Nursing and Allied Health Professionals (N&AHP) section, nurses can expand their knowledge, exchange expertise across disciplines, and contribute to advancing evidence-based practice and research in critical care.
Importantly, ESICM is not only for ICU nurses at the bedside. Nurses working in infection prevention and control, emergency care, anaesthesia, outreach or rapid response teams, and even those involved in step-down or high-dependency units can find valuable opportunities to engage. The society’s multidisciplinary approach allows nurses from diverse specialties to contribute their expertise, collaborate internationally, and play a role in improving patient safety and outcomes across the entire critical care pathway.
What Nurses Bring to ESICM
Nurses bring a strong patient- and family-centred perspective to ESICM, with a focus on safety, quality improvement, and multidisciplinary collaboration. Their contribution is reflected in early recognition of clinical deterioration, coordination of care, and implementation of evidence-based practices that improve patient outcomes.
With the N&AHP committee, nurses take leadership in the changes that need to come. They contribute in multidisciplinary team efforts and advocate for nursing knowledge, research and career progression. The voice of nurses is becoming stronger in policy-making and decision-making to advocate for multidisciplinary care.
In the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), physiological extremes and rapidly changing patient conditions make patient management extraordinarily complex. The critical care pharmacist is much more than a medication expert; we are an integral, dynamic force within the wider multiprofessional team (MPT). Beyond designing and monitoring highly individualized treatment regimens, we actively participate in daily clinical ward rounds, collaborating directly with intensivists, nurses, dietitians, and physiotherapists to shape holistic care strategies.
Our impact also extends far beyond the bedside; critical care pharmacists are dedicated clinical educators, regularly teaching and mentoring peers to elevate the entire team’s baseline knowledge. Furthermore, we are key architects of clinical governance—driving policy design, developing evidence-based ICU protocols, and leading quality improvement initiatives that define the standard of care.
Why Join ESICM? The Pharmacist’s Advantage
What You Bring to the ESICM Community
Clinical Governance & Innovation: You are an architect of best practices. Your experience in drafting local ICU protocols and navigating clinical governance translates directly into valuable contributions to ESICM’s global policy designs and safety standards.
MDT Synergy & Holistic Care: Your unique perspective bridges the gap between medical strategy and therapeutic reality. You enhance MPT discussions by integrating complex pharmacotherapy into broader patient management plans, making the team more cohesive and innovative.
Advanced Pharmacotherapeutic Mastery: You provide the critical expertise needed to optimize medication regimens, applying advanced pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics to the most vulnerable, critically ill patients to mitigate risks and improve outcomes.
Educational Leadership: You bring a wealth of knowledge that elevates everyone. By sharing your expertise through cross-disciplinary teaching and mentorship, you empower nurses, physicians, and allied health professionals to deliver safer care.
Physiotherapists play a central role in the multidisciplinary care of critically ill patients, supporting patients across the continuum of care from stabilisation in the ICU to longer-term recovery and reintegration into daily life. Rehabilitation is initiated as early as clinically feasible and is tailored to the individual patient, with regular reassessment to reflect changing clinical needs. Their work includes respiratory care, early mobilisation, physical rehabilitation, and prevention and management of complications associated with critical illness, such as muscle weakness, joint stiffness and functional decline. Their role also extends to addressing aspects of post-intensive care syndrome (PICS), including physical and functional impairments.
Benefits of ESICM membership
Membership of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) provides physiotherapists with access to a strong international network, high-quality education, and opportunities for collaboration across disciplines and countries. ESICM fosters professional development through congresses, courses, and involvement in working groups and committees such as the Nursing and Allied Health Professionals (N&AHP) group, where members can stay at the forefront of evidence-based practice, contribute to guideline development, and engage in research and innovation within critical care.
What physiotherapists bring to ESICM
Physiotherapists bring a strong focus on functional recovery, rehabilitation, and patient-centred outcomes across the ICU-to-home pathway. Their perspective strengthens the multidisciplinary approach within ESICM and contributes to advancing clinical practice, research, education, and implementation of rehabilitation strategies across Europe and beyond.
Our vision is to be a well-connected international community of expert critical care clinicians, researchers, and policymakers who provide high standards of sustainable care for interprofessional patients and families and support a healthy work environment. Our goals are:
Special Membership Fees
N&AHPs can take advantage of a special membership fee of only 60 euros per year.
Join our ESICM community and benefit from all the advantages the Society offers, including international networking opportunities, educational tools and resources, leadership opportunities and access to the latest scientific resources to further your career.
Do you wish to get involved in the N&AHPs educational, clinical and research activities?
Or do you have any ideas for future projects and collaborations?
We look forward to your suggestions and comments! Contact us at nahp@esicm.org.
