The impact of a “short-term” basic intensive care training program on the knowledge of nonintensivist doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic: An experience from a population-dense low- and middle-income country

BACKGROUND: The utility of basic intensive care unit (ICU) training comprising a “1-day course” has been scientifically evaluated and reported in very few studies, with almost no such study from resource-limited settings. AIM: The study assessed the utility of basic ICU training comprising of a “1-day course” in increasing the knowledge of nonintensivist doctors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is an observational study conducted at a medical university in North India in 2020. The participants were nonintensivist doctors attending the course. The course was designed by intensivists, and it had four domains. The participants were categorised on the basis of their duration of ICU experience and broad speciality. Pretest and posttest was administered, which was analysed to ascertain the gain in the knowledge score. RESULTS: A total of 252 participants were included, of which the majority were from the clinical medicine speciality (85.3%) and had ICU experience of 1–6 months (47.6%). There was a significant improvement in the mean total score of the participants after training from 14/25 to 19/25, with a mean difference (MD) of 5.02 (p < 0.001). Based on ICU experience, in groups I (<1 month), II (1–6 months), and III (>6 months), there was a significant improvement in the total score of the participants after training with MD with 95% confidence interval (CI) limits of 5.27 (4.65–5.90), 4.70 (4.38–5.02), and 5.33 (4.89–5.78), respectively. In the clinical surgery specialty (n = 37), there was a significant improvement in the total score after training from 11/25 to 16.4/25 with an MD (95% CI limits) of 5.38 (4.4–6.3). Similarly, in the clinical medicine group (n = 215), the MD (95% CI limits) score after training was 4.95 (4.71–5.20), from 14.5/25 to 19.5/25. In feedback, more than half of the participants showed interest in joining ICU after training. CONCLUSIONS: Training nonintensivist doctors for 1 day can be useful in improving their knowledge, regardless of their prior ICU experience and speciality.