At the welcoming ceremony for #LIVES2024, Prof Elie Azoulay reflected on the extraordinary progress of ESICM over the past year, encapsulated in three keywords: Community, Innovation, and Research.
He highlighted that 1 in 5 ESICM members are under 38, underscoring the society’s commitment to fostering diversity and growth. The NEXT group, aimed at cultivating young talent, hosted its second JAMBOREE, providing a platform for scientific meetings, summer schools, and fellowships.
With 13 sections, various committees, task forces, and the Diversity and Inclusiveness Monitoring Group, ESICM thrives on inclusivity and innovation. Additionally, ESICM continues to empower nurses with the launch of the Olympus project on International ICU Nurse Day, providing grants for their professional development.
Prof Azoulay highlighted the ESICM motto, “Together, We Are Intensive Care”, which embodies the society’s mission to unite healthcare professionals through education, collaboration, and innovation in critical care. He mentioned the Academy and LIVES-STREAM as pillars of this effort, offering courses, webinars, and workshops to equip the community with cutting-edge knowledge.
He also celebrated key achievements in ESICM’s educational mission, noting the success of the Intensive Care Fundamentals (ICF) programme, which is already making a significant impact on newcomers to the ICU. Over the past 35 years, programmes like EDIC I and II and EDEC have set the standard for excellence in intensive care education, ensuring quality care globally.
“Together” reflects ESICM’s collaboration with national societies and global partners. Through initiatives like LIVES and international forums such as Euro-Asia, Euro-Africa, and Euro-Med, ESICM has strengthened its worldwide network of intensivists.
Prof Azoulay expressed the value of ESICM’s partnership with the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) on the Surviving Sepsis Guidelines, a collaborative effort that continually updates and improves sepsis management across high, middle, and low-income countries.
Innovation was another key theme in his address. Prof Azoulay introduced the VITAL initiative, which emphasises patient- and family-centred ICU care, focusing on compassion, communication, and respect. He shared insights from a recent webinar on the VOICES of ICU survivors and their families, offering their unique perspectives on care.
He also discussed a partnership with the European Commission and the World Health Organization (WHO) for the C19SPACE initiative, training over 20,000 healthcare professionals in Europe and 3,000 in low- and middle-income countries to boost crisis preparedness.
Prof Azoulay introduced LINK, a telemedicine platform revolutionising patient care by connecting ESICM members with experts in critical situations and providing rapid specialist advice to ensure high-quality care at the bedside.
Source and Image Credit: ESICM LIVES 2024
