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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 2022

Newsletter October 2022: ESAIC Gender Equity Committee: Addressing gender bias in anesthesia and intensive care

Vojislava Neskovic

For the first time, at the beginning of 2020, a Gender Equity Committee (GEC) has been appointed by the European Society of Anesthesia and Intensive Care (ESAIC). The idea of taking steps in establishing more structured actions in addressing gender equity evolved from the recognised underrepresentation of women within society leadership. Although the number of members did not differ significantly in terms of gender, the representation of women in scientific committees, both as chairs or members, reached a very low point in 2018 and 2019, with 6,5 % of chairs and less than 20% of members being women. In addition, those were the years with the lowest number of women speakers at Euroanesthesia congresses (less than 25%). A red flag has been raised, and a firm response was seen as necessary. 

Underrepresentation of women has been unequivocally confirmed and recognized in the positions of decision-making, leadership, and academia in the medical profession overall, anesthesiology and intensive care just mirror broader trends. In a recently published survey, 30% of ESAIC members (1796 women, 1342 men) responded to questions exploring attitudes and barriers to career advancement in anaesthesia. (1) It has been confirmed that both women and men aspire to leadership equally and that they are confronting the same barriers, which seem to affect women more. Further, women still experience sexism at work and see childbearing as the most difficult to overcome.  

However, in spite of the data accumulating, they are predominantly the result of retrospective studies and surveys and are mostly numeric. There is a research gap: the replication of insight that women are underrepresented, but with a lack of data on the reasons why and what are efficient measures to overcome the problem. On the other hand, recognizing reasons for underrepresentation may lead to proper interventions. It is obvious that departmental and cultural changes are necessary, but how to perform them is still vague.  

Gender equity should be well established for various reasons. Gender inequality weakens health systems and the delivery of health care. Also, by 2030 a shortfall of 18 million health workers worldwide is expected. Certainly, it will affect anaesthesia and intensive care providers, although it is very difficult to predict how since there is a lack of systematical, comparable data on anaesthesia and intensive care workforce. Covid 19 pandemic has revealed new or already existing difficulties in the workforce, recruitment and education, burnout and problems of ageing doctors. More so, different countries deal with diverse issues, from infrastructure to efficiency of the healthcare systems, from the policies and regulations to cultural and social background. It will be very difficult to find solutions and deliver a high standard of care if all providers are not enabled to reach their professional goals and full potential. 

Keeping this in mind, what could be the goals and objectives of the GEC within ESAIC? What is expected to be achieved? 

Obviously, cultural change and broader community advancement toward gender equity is a long-term objective that is difficult to achieve through the Gender Equity Committee’s work only. However, raising awareness of equity and equality and empowering women within ESAIC society may be quite a realistic goal. Also, monitoring improvements and changing policies towards less biased promotion of women leaders is a task that is quite obtainable. The Committee’s primary assignment is to promote equal opportunities and representation of women and men within European anaesthesiology and intensive care medicine regarding 

  • recruitment for graduate and postgraduate training and examination 
  • clinical work and responsibility 
  • teaching and clinical supervision 
  • research, development, and scientific supervision 
  • formal representation in boards and committees 
  • leadership and decision-making. 

Euroanesthesia 2022 in Milan has championed the number of women speakers, which was almost equal to the number of men speakers. Also, it is noticeable that more women applied for scientific grants than before. However, we should not be over-optimistic or overemphasise the numbers.  First of all, this year’s result should prove to be sustainable and not just a one-time success. Further, counting the visible women should be seen as a targeted tool, not as an objective itself. Women leaders should be encouraged since they quite often confront increased mental burdens, a challenging work-life balance, sexist behaviour, or hit the glass ceiling. Women within our society represent different countries and come from different cultural backgrounds, socioeconomic situations, and ethnic, racial, or sexual orientations. It is important that they can be truly represented in leadership and decision-making positions in society and get the necessary reassurance to model equity in their own working environments. Diversity should be promoted and encouraged as one of the primary objectives of ESAIC. 

Very few measures are proven to promote gender equity within different settings: systemic changes such as prohibiting all-male panels, holding senior leaders accountable, and favouring research funding according to transparent gender-equity policy. (2) Those measures could and should be implemented within ESAIC as well. More importantly, every member of our society may become unblind in implementing these interventions. To achieve the objectives of the GEC whole community should be united in the creation of a climate of gender equity and fairness. Everybody can become an upstander and advocate for equal opportunities for all anesthesiologists. Professionals may have a diversity of professional interests and advancement toward education, research, or a variety of subspecialties in anaesthesia or intensive care. But fairness and equal opportunities should be a common goal and interest for all of us. This is why the GEC should be more visible and broadly supported by all members of ESAIC. Each one of us can do more for our profession, ensuring that in everyday practice, gender equity is pursued. That will ultimately affect the well-being of working professionals and the standards of care for our patients. 

References

  1. Matot, I., De Hert, S., Cohen, B., & Koch, T.. BJA, (2020). 124(3), e171–e177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bja.2020.01.005 
  2. Ryan M. Nature (2022) .604, 403. doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-01045-y

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