Stream 3
This forward-looking session reflects on the heightened visibility of intensive care during the COVID-19 pandemic and explores how critical care services can better prepare for future large-scale crises. Aligned with the conference theme of “looking forwards,” the session will examine how lessons learned can inform resilient, adaptable systems capable of responding to a range of emerging threats.
Expert speakers will consider preparedness across three key domains: conflict and wartime medicine, environmental and climate-related disasters, and future pandemics. The session will address how critical care infrastructure, workforce planning, and resource allocation must evolve to meet these challenges, alongside the importance of coordination across local, national, and global systems.
Through a combination of expert insight and strategic reflection, delegates will be encouraged to consider what effective preparedness looks like in practice, and how services can move from reactive responses to proactive planning. The session will highlight opportunities for innovation, collaboration, and system-wide resilience, supporting the development of critical care services that are better equipped for an increasingly uncertain future.