EECC Training in Sweden Brings Lifesaving Skills to the Forefront
On May 23rd, in Gothenburg, Sweden, 120 critical care nurses and doctors gathered for a powerful day of learning and collaboration focused on Essential Emergency and Critical Care (EECC). This in-service training, organised by Region Västra Götaland and led by EECC network member Emily Tegnell, was focused on strengthening the care provided to critically ill patients—not just in intensive care units, but across all hospital settings.
EECC focuses on simple, life-saving actions that can make a major difference for patients in urgent need. These include monitoring vital signs, providing oxygen therapy, administering intravenous fluids, supporting the airway, and—most importantly—ensuring health workers are trained to spot and respond to critical illness early. These are not high-tech solutions, but they are highly effective. And they work in any setting, whether in a high-resource ICU or a small hospital ward.
Throughout the day, EECC was explored through a wide range of clinical and research lenses. Presenters Jonna Idh, Frida Aronsson, Carl Otto Schell, Henrik Jörnvall, and Märit Halmin brought a depth of experience from both Sweden and abroad, illustrating how EECC can be applied across the health system.
Otto Schell discussing the Hospital Burden of Critical Illness across Global Settings Study
Discussions covered how EECC fits into surgery, obstetric care, and pediatrics—demonstrating that these core actions can support better outcomes in all specialties. There were also sessions on how EECC links to research, health economics, and policy-making, showing how evidence-based, cost-effective care can and should shape healthcare systems at large. Importantly, the relationship between EECC and ICU care was explored, highlighting that while not every patient will be admitted to an intensive care unit, every critically ill patient deserves essential care.
Sweden was one of the countries in the Hospital Burden of Critical Illness across Global Settings Study where data highlighted that 94% of the critically ill are on general wards rather than in ICUs.
This training day didn’t just share knowledge—it also sparked conversations about how EECC can be strengthened and scaled across Sweden and beyond. By grounding care in practical, effective measures, EECC empowers healthcare providers to deliver better care with the resources they already have.
Emily Tegnell fielding audience questions
Events like this are crucial for building awareness, skills, and momentum around EECC. They help to ensure that lifesaving care doesn’t depend on where a patient lives or how well-resourced their hospital is—but is available to every critically ill patient, everywhere.
At EECC Global, we’re thrilled to see how EECC is being embraced in Sweden and are grateful to everyone who made this training a success. Together, we are working towards a world where essential emergency and critical care is not a privilege, but a standard.