Advances in Medical Education and Practice

Education and Training in Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine: Current Challenges and Future Directions

Anesthesia and intensive care medicine are rapidly evolving disciplines in which patient safety, technological advancement, and increasing clinical complexity place high demands on clinicians. High-quality education and training are therefore essential to ensure not only technical proficiency, but also strong decision-making, communication, and teamwork skills. In recent years, training frameworks have increasingly moved toward competency-based approaches that emphasize clearly defined outcomes and demonstrated clinical competence rather than time-based progression. This shift aims to improve transparency, consistency, and quality of training across diverse healthcare systems. However, it also requires adaptation of curricula, teaching strategies, and assessment methods, as well as an expanded role for educators as facilitators, assessors, and role models. Exploring effective approaches to education and professional development is thus central to sustaining excellence in anesthesia and intensive care medicine.

This is important because anesthesia and intensive care medicine have a direct impact on patient safety and perioperative outcomes in high-risk clinical settings. As patients become older and more complex and technologies more advanced, clinicians must be equipped to deliver safe, effective care under pressure. Modern, competency-based training supports the acquisition of both technical expertise and essential non-technical skills such as decision-making, communication, and teamwork. Clear and standardized training frameworks promote consistency, quality, and equity across institutions and healthcare systems, while also reducing errors and improving outcomes. Investing in education and professional development in anesthesia and intensive care is therefore a core patient safety and healthcare quality priority.

The general theme of this Article Collection is the contemporary approach to medical education in anesthesia and intensive care. Topics of interest include curriculum development, innovative and interactive teaching strategies, modern assessment methods, integration of non-technical skills, simulation-based education, and the development of new standards that promote fair, equitable, and patient-centred care. All article types are welcome, including viewpoints, narrative or systematic reviews, original research, surveys, and observational studies.

Keywords:

1. Anaesthesiology education
2. Intensive care training
3. Competency-based medical education
4. Curriculum development
5. Professional development

Guest Advisor 

Professor Vojislava Neskovic is a staff anesthetist and Associate Professor of Anesthesia and Intensive Care at the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade, Serbia. Since 2012, she has also contributed to the ESAIC Teach the Teachers (TTT) Masterclass, where she is a member of the TTT Masterclass Committee. Professor Neskovic is one of the authors of the UEMS European Training Requirements for the specialty of anesthesiology, pain, and intensive care medicine. She serves as an examiner for the Part Two EDAIC (European Diploma in Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care) and hosts the Part One (written) EDAIC examination in Belgrade. Currently, she is a member of the EACTA Thoracic Subcommittee, represents Serbia as a Council Member of the ESAIC, and is a member of the WFSA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee.

All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo a full peer-review; the Guest Advisors for this Collection will not be handling the manuscripts (unless they are an Editorial Board member). The Guest Advisor declares no Conflict of Interests.

Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is 31st January 2027.

Please contact Commissioning Editor Francis Straw at [email protected] with any queries or for details about APC discounts.