BackgroundEarly reports suggest that most children infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (“SARS-CoV-2”) have mild symptoms. What is not known is whether children with chronic respiratory illnesses have exacerbations associated with SARS-CoV-2 virus.MethodsAn expert panel created a survey, which was circulated twice (in April and May 2020) to members of the Paediatric Assembly of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) and via the social media of the ERS. The survey stratified patients by the following conditions: asthma, cystic fibrosis (CF), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and other respiratory conditions.ResultsIn total 174 centres responded to at least one survey. 80 centres reported no cases, whereas 94 entered data from 945 children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). SARS-CoV-2 was isolated from 49 children with asthma of whom 29 required no treatment, 19 needed supplemental oxygen and four children required mechanical ventilation. Of the 14 children with CF and COVID-19, 10 required no treatment and four had only minor symptoms. Among the nine children with BPD and COVID-19, two required no treatment, five required inpatient care and oxygen and two were admitted to a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) requiring invasive ventilation. Data were available from 33 children with other conditions and SARS-CoV-2 of whom 20 required supplemental oxygen and 11 needed noninvasive or invasive ventilation.ConclusionsWithin the participating centres, in children with asthma and CF, infection with SARS-CoV-2 was well tolerated, but a substantial minority of children with BPD and other conditions required ventilatory support indicating that these latter groups are at risk from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Building on the core syllabus for postgraduate training in respiratory physiotherapy, published in 2014, the European Respiratory Society (ERS) respiratory physiotherapy task force has developed a harmonised and structured postgraduate curriculum for respiratory physiotherapy training. The curriculum outlines the knowledge, skills and attitudes which must be mastered by a respiratory physiotherapist working with adult or paediatric patients, together with guidance for minimal clinical exposures, and forms of learning and assessment.This article presents the rationale, methodology and content of the ERS respiratory physiotherapy curriculum. The full curriculum can be found in the supplementary material.

Training of European thoracic surgeons is subject to huge variations in terms of length of training, content of training and operative experience during training. Harmonization of training outcomes has been approached by creating the European Board of Thoracic Surgery, which has been accredited by the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS); however, a clear description of the content of training is lacking. Building on their recognized experience with curriculum building, task forces of the European Respiratory Society and the European Society of Thoracic Surgery agreed on a joint task force on training in thoracic surgery. The goal of this study is to report on the mission statement developed from the UEMS-driven survey, describe the Delphi method and the observed results and present the first large consensus-based syllabus. The working group is currently working on a description of the curriculum and assessment of learning outcomes.

First published in 2006, the first European core syllabus in Adult Respiratory Medicine was developed with the intention of harmonising education and training throughout Europe. Internationally recognised by the European Union of Medical Specialists and identified as the first document of its kind in respiratory medicine, it has provided a comprehensive guide for both local and national institutions in the development of adult respiratory training programmes.Like all fields in education, respiratory medicine is an ever-changing area and as such, respective syllabi, curricula and training programmes must adapt and diversify in line with the evolution of core medical concepts. Given the proven importance of the Adult Respiratory Medicine syllabus from both a national and international standpoint, it is of equal importance that said syllabus remains abreast of emerging trends so as to sustain the synchronisation of respiratory medicine in Europe. In order to develop an updated programme, a comprehensive review process of the current syllabus is a necessary endeavour and a step that the European Respiratory Society (ERS) has undertaken through the process of a needs assessment.

The ERS respiratory physiotherapy curriculum sets a new standard for postgraduate respiratory physiotherapy education. It was developed to promote evidence-based practice and physical skills for the respiratory physiotherapist.