Professor Hans Flaatten has been Professor of Intensive Care
Medicine at the University of Bergen since 2004, and he is a valued
member of the Editorial Board of ICU Management. We asked him our 7
questions:
1. What are your key areas of interest and research?
Outcome after intensive care, quality issues in intensive care, education and training in intensive care.
2. What are the major challenges in your field?
To
work for a common training programme in intensive care in Europe and
for ICM as an official speciality/sub-speciality within UEMS (Union
Européenne des Médecins Spécialistes – European Union of Medical
Specialists).
3. What is your top management tip?
Flat structure in the ICU.
4. What would you single out as a career highlight?
Appointed as Professor in Intensive Care (2004) and Chair of the Division of Professional Development (DPD) in ESICM 2008-10.
5. If you had not chosen this career path you would have become a…?
Environmental scientist.
6. What are your personal interests outside of work?
Mountaineering.
7. Your favourite quote?
"Medicine
used to be simple, ineffective and relatively safe. It is now complex,
effective and potentially dangerous." Sir Cyril Chantler
Prof.
Flaatten says that early on in his medical career he developed a
particular interest in intensive care medicine, after qualifying as an
anaesthesologist in Norway in 1985. He has worked in intensive care
since 1990, taking up leadership of an academic general ICU at Haukeland
University Hospital in 1994 before becoming professor in 2004. He
currently sits on the advisory board for the Norwegian Cause of Death
Registry of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Since 2010 he has
been Chair of the Clinical Training Committee, Division of Professional
Development (DPD) of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine
(ESICM), which is developing educational courses in intensive care.
His
research interests include outcomes after critical illness and
intensive care. He has been active in the European Society of Intensive
Care Medicine (ESICM) since 1996, first as Norwegian Council Member, and
from 2008-2010 as Chair of the DPD. In Norway he was active in creating
the Norwegian Intensive Care Registry (NIR) [www.intensivregister.no],
established in 1999, which is now an official Norwegian Quality
Registry. From August 2013 to January 2014 he spent a sabbatical at the Chinese University of Hong Kong as a visiting scholar.
Prof. Flaatten is on the Editorial Board of Acta Anesthesiologica Scandinavica, and has authored more than 100 papers [PubMed link]
He co-edited with Rui Moreno and Andrew Rhodes the 2010 publication
Organisation and management of intensive care, published by ESICM.
He
has received an honorary award from the Norwegian Association of
Anaesthesiologists and the Helse Vest Kvalitetspris (Quality Award
Health Region Vest).
Further reading
Flaatten H (2011/12) Uneven distribution of resources in the ICU. ICU Management, 11(4): 26-7.
Flaatten H (2008) Education and training in intensive care: European perspective. ICU Management, 8(3): 23,44.
Flaatten H (2007-8) Adverse events in the ICU: are we aiming at the wrong target? ICU Management, 7(4): 6.
Flaatten H (2007) Critical care in Norway. ICU Management, 7(3): 39.
Flaatten H (2005) An interview with Professor Hans Flaatten on management in intensive care. ICU Management, 5(1): 53-6.
Flaatten H (2005) ICU design - does it matter? ICU Management, 5(4): 31.
