Position Paper on Global Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Education and Educational Agenda for the Future: A Statement From the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization ECMOed Taskforce.

<bold>Objectives: </bold>The purpose of this position paper is two-fold: first, to describe the state of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation education worldwide, noting current limitations and challenges; and second, to put forth an educational agenda regarding opportunities for an international collaborative approach toward standardization.<bold>Design: </bold>Relevant medical literature was reviewed through literature search, and materials from national organizations were accessed through the Internet. Taskforce members generated a consensus statement using an iterative consensus process through teleconferences and electronic communication.<bold>Setting: </bold>In 2018, the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization convened the ECMOed Taskforce at two structured, face-to-face meetings of 40 healthcare practitioners and educators with expertise in caring for the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation patient and in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation education.<bold>Patients: </bold>None.<bold>Interventions: </bold>None.<bold>Measurements and Main Results: </bold>The ECMOed Taskforce identified seven educational domains that would benefit from international collaborative efforts. Of primary importance, the Taskforce outlined actionable items regarding 1) the creation of a standardized extracorporeal membrane oxygenation curriculum; 2) defining criteria for an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation course as a vehicle for delivering the curriculum; 3) outlining a mechanism for evaluating the quality of educational offerings; 4) utilizing validated assessment tools in the development of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation practitioner certification; and 5) promoting high-quality educational research to guide ongoing educational and competency assessment development.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>Significant variability and limitations in global extracorporeal membrane oxygenation education exist. In this position paper, we outline a road map for standardizing international extracorporeal membrane oxygenation education and practitioner certification. Ongoing high-quality educational research is needed to evaluate the impact of these initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]