Objective:
To report the results of a nationwide critical-care course for non-intensivists to increase staff capacity of intensive care units (ICU) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina.
Methods:
Three academic organizations, with special funding from 55 private companies, developed a short virtual course comprised of web-based videos, virtual tutorials, and a forum chat. Each state assigned scholarships to non-ICU staff from public hospitals. Students received active follow-up for the completion of the course and took a survey upon course completion.
Results:
After four months, there were 10,123 students registered from 661 hospitals in 328 cities. Of these, 67.8% passed the course, 29.1% were still ongoing and 3.1% were inactive. Most students were female (74.2%) with a median of 37 years old (IQR 31-44). The group was composed of 56.5% nurses, 36.2% physicians, and 7.4% physiotherapists, of whom 48.3% did not have any experience in critical care. Mean overall satisfaction was 4.4/5 (SD 0.9), and 90.7% considered they were able to apply the contents to their practice.
Conclusions:
This course was effective for rapid training of non-ICU personnel. The assignment strategy, the educational techniques, and the close follow-up led to low dropout and high success rates and satisfaction.