Guidelines for critical care medicine training and continuing medical education.
OBJECTIVE
Critical care medicine trainees and faculty must acquire and maintain the skills necessary to provide state-of-the art clinical care to critically ill patients, to improve patient outcomes, optimize intensive care unit utilization, and continue to advance the theory and practice of critical care medicine. This should be accomplished in an environment dedicated to compassionate and ethical care.


METHODS
A multidisciplinary panel of professionals with expertise in critical care education and the practice of critical care medicine under the direction of the American College of Critical Care Medicine.


METHODS
Physician education in critical care medicine in the United States should encompass all disciplines that provide care in the intensive care unit and all levels of training: from medical students through all levels of postgraduate training and continuing medical education for all providers of clinical critical care. The scope of this guideline includes physician education in the United States from residency through ongoing practice after subspecialization.


METHODS
Relevant literature was accessed via a systematic Medline search as well as by requesting references from all panel members. Subsequently, the bibliographies of obtained literature were reviewed for additional references. In addition, a search of organization-based published material was conducted via the Internet. This included but was not limited to material published by the American College of Critical Care Medicine, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, and other primary and specialty organizations. Collaboratively and iteratively, the task force met, by conference call and in person, to construct the tenets and ultimately the substance of this guideline.


CONCLUSIONS
Guidelines for the continuum of education in critical care medicine from residency through specialty training and ongoing throughout practice will facilitate standardization of physician education in critical care medicine.
Dorman
Todd
T
Johns Hopkins Hospital, Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Angood
Peter B
PB
Angus
Derek C
DC
Clemmer
Terry P
TP
Cohen
Neal H
NH
Durbin
Charles G
CG
Falk
Jay L
JL
Helfaer
Mark A
MA
Haupt
Marilyn T
MT
Horst
H Mathilda
HM
Ivy
Michael E
ME
Ognibene
Frederick P
FP
Sladen
Robert N
RN
Grenvik
Ake N A
AN
Napolitano
Lena M
LM
D002983:Clinical Competence; D003422:Critical Care / Q000592:standards*; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000592:standards*; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000592:standards*; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D014481:United States