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About

The ESAIC is dedicated to supporting professionals in anaesthesiology and intensive care by serving as the hub for development and dissemination of valuable educational, scientific, research, and networking resources.


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Congresses

The ESAIC hosts the Euroanaesthesia and Focus Meeting congresses that serve as platforms for cutting-edge science and innovation in the field. These events bring together experts, foster networking, and facilitate knowledge exchange in anaesthesiology, intensive care, pain management, and perioperative medicine. Euroanaesthesia is one of the world’s largest and most influential scientific congresses for anaesthesia professionals. Held annually throughout Europe, our congress is a contemporary event geared towards education, knowledge exchange and innovation in anaesthesia, intensive care, pain and perioperative medicine, as well as a platform for immense international visibility for scientific research.


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Professional Growth

The ESAIC's mission is to foster and provide exceptional training and educational opportunities. The ESAIC ensures the provision of robust and standardised examination and certification systems to support the professional development of anaesthesiologists and to ensure outstanding future doctors in the field of anaesthesiology and intensive care.


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Research

The ESAIC aims to advance patient outcomes and contribute to the progress of anaesthesiology and intensive care evidence-based practice through research. The ESAIC Clinical Trial Network (CTN), the Academic Contract Research Organisation (A-CRO), the Research Groups and Grants all contribute to the knowledge and clinical advances in the peri-operative setting.


Learn more about the ESAIC Clinical Trial Network (CTN) and the associated studies.

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EU Projects

The ESAIC is actively involved as a consortium member in numerous EU funded projects. Together with healthcare leaders and practitioners, the ESAIC's involvement as an EU project partner is another way that it is improving patient outcomes and ensuring the best care for every patient.


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Patient Safety

The ESAIC aims to promote the professional role of anaesthesiologists and intensive care physicians and enhance perioperative patient outcomes by focusing on quality of care and patient safety strategies. The Society is committed to implementing the Helsinki Declaration and leading patient safety projects.


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Sustainability

To ESAIC is committed to implementing the Glasgow Declaration and drive initiatives towards greater environmental sustainability across anaesthesiology and intensive care in Europe.


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Partnerships

The ESAIC works in collaboration with industry, national societies, and specialist societies to promote advancements in anaesthesia and intensive care. The Industry Partnership offers visibility and engagement opportunities for industry participants with ESAIC members, facilitating understanding of specific needs in anaesthesiology and in intensive care. This partnership provides resources for education and avenues for collaborative projects enhancing science, education, and patient safety. The Specialist Societies contribute to high-quality educational opportunities for European anaesthesiologists and intensivists, fostering discussion and sharing, while the National Societies, through NASC, maintain standards, promote events and courses, and facilitate connections. All partnerships collectively drive dialogue, learning, and growth in the anaesthesiology and intensive care sector.


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Guidelines

Guidelines play a crucial role in delivering evidence-based recommendations to healthcare professionals. Within the fields of anaesthesia and intensive care, guidelines are instrumental in standardizing clinical practices and enhancing patient outcomes. For many years, the ESAIC has served as a pivotal platform for facilitating continuous advancements, improving care standards and harmonising clinical management practices across Europe.


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Publications

With over 40 years of publication history, the EJA (European Journal of Anaesthesiology) has established itself as a highly respected and influential journal in its field. It covers a wide range of topics related to anaesthesiology and intensive care medicine, including perioperative medicine, pain management, critical care, resuscitation, and patient safety.


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Membership

Becoming a member of ESAIC implies becoming a part of a vibrant community of nearly 8,000 professionals who exchange best practices and stay updated on the latest developments in anaesthesiology, intensive care and perioperative medicine. ESAIC membership equips you with the tools and resources necessary to enhance your daily professional routine, nurture your career growth, and play an active role in advancing anaesthesiology, intensive care and perioperative medicine.


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Newsletter 2020

Newsletter November 2020: A viral load leading to an increased personal load: How SARS-CoV-2 has changed the life of the anaesthesiologist

Marcelino Murillo Deluque – marcelmoro04@gmail.com

Sebastian Amaya, Nashla Fayad Fayad

Natalia González Zárate, Gabriela Rosero

 

 

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has changed priorities for the general population and has been a challenge for healthcare professionals as well. The situation has placed a burden of stress, trauma and panic on health professionals as the fear of acquiring the disease, transmitting it to their loved ones and dying as a result of the infection grows day by day (1, 2). Anaesthesiologists, due to their direct contact with the virus and their role in society, are vulnerable to social changes and emotional stressors, as well as extreme workloads and moral dilemmas (2).

Anaesthesiologists are doctors with specialised training whose function is to assure the smooth, efficient and safe development of surgery, protecting the patient’s vital functions, avoiding pain and/or consciousness and guaranteeing the safety of the patient. Likewise, they are in charge of the pre-anaesthetic consultation where they perform a medical assessment to determine the risk of each patient for a certain surgery and create the most adequate anaesthetic plan (3). In addition, the anaesthesiologist is in charge of the airway, postoperative pain control, chronic pain control, and patient surveillance in the postoperative resuscitation unit (3). This specialist is a key piece in the hospital both at the surgical level and at the pre- and post-surgical levels. Anaesthesiologists, however, are at high risk of infection because they are the physicians who handle a patient’s airway (4).

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has generated significant changes in the way health services are provided, including surgical activity (5). The Colombian Association of Surgery implemented norms and conditions to carry out non-priority elective surgeries after carefully evaluating the risks and benefits (5). On the other hand, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and personal protective actions by anaesthesiologists is essential in operating rooms, specifically the N95 mask, goggles, gloves, anti-fluid gown, cap, and leggings (5). PPE is not provided in all settings and in some cases must be paid for by the health care professional. In certain circumstances, PPE may not be readily available due to supply scarcity and physicians must continue to do their jobs with whatever PPE elements they can find, unfortunately.

COVID-19 has had a broad impact on the work overload of anaesthesiologists which includes added overtime in the intensive care unit and poor wages (1). This overload has brought with it a wave of job desertion, increased levels of stress and depression, thus causing conflicts in health care workers (1). These factors combined with the ethical and moral dilemmas that they are forced to face secondary to the overload, lack of resources and poor evolution of patients influence an evident and marked physical and mental exhaustion (2).

 

The risk of infection and work overload are contributory agents that can lead anaesthesiologists to develop certain psychological disorders. Recent studies, based on medical reports, have highlighted the main factors related to the aggravation of occupational stress and mental overload such as physical and mental exhaustion, complexity in making difficult decisions when managing possibly infected patients, suffering due to the loss of patients and co-workers, as well as dealing with the constant risk of infection (6). Taking into account the current health crisis, these factors are accentuated, so that the physician is subject to constant physical and mental stress.

A cross-sectional study of 531 Colombian doctors evaluated psychological symptoms and perceptions during the current pandemic and revealed that a third of those surveyed presented mild work stress, while 6% presented high or severe work stress (1); with anxiety symptoms identified in 72.9% of the participants, and being more frequent among those who worked in capital cities (1). Intense psychological stress is associated with a set of symptoms of anxiety, depression and related to the acute experience of post-traumatic events (7), that not only affects the health of physicians; but also decision-making, and ultimately clinical practise (7). However, psychological stress does not end when they leave the hospital; the anxiety extends to their homes, their family, and even public places. Several authors point out that health workers usually fear spreading the infection to their families, friends or colleagues, and also experience symptoms of stress, anxiety or depression with long-term psychological implications (1). Many anesthesiologists and intensivists have suffered physical (eg. spraying with bleach, hot coffee, disinfectant, etc.) and psychological violence (eg. threats, the pressure to leave home, and obstacles to access to hospitals), as well as stigmatisation (eg, derogatory insults such as “virus”, “infected” or the use of the word COVID as a derogatory adjective) and discriminatory behaviours (eg, being blocked from using public transport, and signs of disgust) (8). For this reason, it is important to generate social awareness campaigns and effective corrective measures, to prevent these acts of aggression and social rejection.

The consequences that this pandemic leaves are challenges for each person, especially for each doctor, anaesthesiologist or not, who faces these situations. There are general areas of intervention where it will be necessary to act soon, rescuing the humanity of each individual (9). Support is imperative at this time, as many physicians not only face the virus, but also a high risk of infection, insufficient or lack of adequate protection in many cases, as well as isolation and rejection. This influences the work overload, frustration and impotence that a doctor may feel and its consequent repercussions such as anxiety, insomnia, stress, depression, and exhausting fatigue from long hours as well as the lack of contact with their loved ones (10).

Overall, it is inescapable that communication should be established that allows the situation to be better elucidated and encompasses optimal self-care with a global approach where the target is the management of the physicians’ emotions, thoughts and behaviours. In addition, motivation to maintain or continue with healthy habits such as physical activity, time for preferred meals of good nutritional contribution, a good sleep cycle and avoidance of stimulants (alcohol, caffeine, etc.) should be encouraged. Additionally, there should be a reinforcement of activities that relax each person, such as reading or watching movies and resting, as well as restricting exposure to social networks and media. In the same way, staying connected with loved ones and allowing for help, establishing and recognising signs of sadness, exhaustion, anxiety and frustration can establish a must needed balance in the physician’s life (11, 12).

 

References

  1. Monterrosa-Castro A, Dávila-Ruiz R, Mejía-Mantilla et al. MedUNAB 2020 Jul22,;23(2):195-213.
  2. Téllez-Vargas, J. Asociación Colombiana de Psiquiatría Biológica. 2020 Jun.
  3. Acosta Martínez J, Guerrero Domínguez R, et al. ELSEVIER. 2016 [citado el 26 de agosto del 2020]. Disponible en:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0120334716000198#:~:text=Tambi%C3%A9n%20pretende%20identificar%20factores%20relacionados,la%20existencia%20de%20intervenciones%20previas.
  4. Xu J, Xu Q, Wang C, Wang J. Psychiatry Research 2020 Jun;288:112955.
  5. Barrios Parra A, Prieto Ortiz RG, Torregrosa Almonacid L., et al. Revista colombiana de cirugía 2020 May 11,;35(2):302-321.
  6. Astrês Fernandes M. Márcia Astrês Fernandes. Revista cuidarte [Internet]. 2020 [citado 14 agosto 2020];11(2). Disponible en: https://revistacuidarte.udes.edu.co/index.php/cuidarte/article/view/122
  7. Neto MLR, Almeida HG, Esmeraldo JD, Nobre CB, Pinheiro WR, de Oliveira, Cícera Rejane Tavares, et al. When health professionals look death in the eye: the mental health of professionals who deal daily with the 2019 coronavirus outbreak. Psychiatry Research 2020 Jun;288:112972.
  8. Orellana-Calderón CI. Revista de salud pública (Bogotá, Colombia) 2020 Mar 1,;22(2):1-5.
  9. Macaya P, Aranda F.Revistachilenadeanestesia.cl [Internet]. 2020 [citado 14 agosto 2020];49(03.014):356–362. Disponible en: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341268380_Cuidado_y_autocuidado_en_el_personal_de_salud_enfrentando_la_pandemia_COVID-19
  10. Huarcaya-Victoria J.Revista Peru Med Exp Salud Pública [Internet]. 2020 [citado 14 agosto 2020];37:327–334. Disponible en: https://rpmesp.ins.gob.pe/index.php/rpmesp/article/view/5419
  11. Bocanegra Rivera J. [Internet].Comunidadacademicascare.com. 2020 [citado el 25 de agosto del 2020]. Disponible en: https://www.comunidadacademicascare.com/420-recomendaciones-para-el-manejo-de-la-salud-mental-de-los-profesionales-de-la-salud-durante-covid-19.html
  12. FEPASDE C, S.C.A.R.E. Internet]. Contenido.fepasde.com. 2020 [citado el 25 de agosto del 2020]. Disponible en:https://contenido.fepasde.com/medidas-para-atender-el-coronavirus-duranteposible-llamado-del-gobierno?hsCtaTracking=080912c8-a621-4d15-9493-b85bc1bf980a%7C35f94294-122a-4ba1-9ec4-c86f20b1d9d2

 

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