An International Virtual COVID-19 Critical Care Training Forum for Healthcare Workers

Abstract

Background: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic resulted in redeployment of non–critical care–trained providers to intensive care units across the world. Concurrently, traditional venues for delivery of medical education faced major disruptions. The need for a virtual forum to fill knowledge gaps for healthcare workers caring for patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was apparent in the early stages of the pandemic. Objective: The weekly, open-access COVID-19 Critical Care Training Forum (CCCTF) organized by the American Thoracic Society (ATS) provided a global audience access to timely content relevant to their learning needs. The goals of the forum were threefold: to aid healthcare providers in assessment and treatment of patients with COVID-19, to reduce provider anxiety, and to disseminate best practices. Methods: The first 13 ATS CCCTF sessions streamed live from April to July 2020. Structured debriefs followed each session and participant feedback was evaluated in planning of subsequent sessions. A second set of 14 sessions streamed from August to November 2020. Content experts were recruited from academic institutions across the United States. Results: As of July 2020, the ATS CCCTF had 2,494 live participants and 7,687 downloads for a total of 10,181 views. The majority of participants had both completed training (58.6%) and trained in critical care (53.8%). Physicians made up a majority (82.2%) of the audience that spanned the globe (61% were international attendees). Conclusion: We describe the rapid and successful implementation of an open-access medical education forum to address training and knowledge gaps among healthcare personnel caring for patients with COVID-19.

The future of training in intensive care medicine: A European perspective

“…The content related to all aspects of critically ill COVID-19 patient care, including inpatient and post-intensive care management. [77] Faced with surges in demand due to the pandemic and the ensuing pressure on ICU facilities around the world, both C19_SPACE and CCCTF training programs demonstrated that medical education can be successfully delivered globally and virtually in times of crisis. [76] , [77] The reliance on video conferencing during the pandemic created new opportunities for interface between academic institutions and the broader medical community.…”

“… [77] Faced with surges in demand due to the pandemic and the ensuing pressure on ICU facilities around the world, both C19_SPACE and CCCTF training programs demonstrated that medical education can be successfully delivered globally and virtually in times of crisis. [76] , [77] The reliance on video conferencing during the pandemic created new opportunities for interface between academic institutions and the broader medical community. Furthermore, e-learning satisfies the need for continuing education and procedural training.…”

The American Thoracic Society Leadership in a Year Like No Other

“…Early on, the ATS developed a COVID-19 resource center, assembled an international expert panel to provide interim guidance on management (as there was no or insufficient evidence), facilitated interactions among division directors across the United States, and distributed a weekly e-mail with updates on the latest breakthroughs and resources, such as the COVID-19 Critical Care Training Forum ( 1 – 3 ). Furthermore, we formed the Vaccine Working Group and created the Vaccine Resource Center on our website, our assemblies conducted multiple webinars and journal clubs, and the ATS collaborated in joint webinars with our peer societies worldwide.…”