About us
Be-Pics is a multidisciplinary non-profit organization (medical and paramedical), founded in November 2020, which brings together healthcare professionals working in Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICU’s) in Belgium. Be-Pics formalizes pre-existing medical collaborative initiatives (previously BVKI/ABIP or Belgische Vereniging voor Kinder-Intensivisten / Association Belge des Intensivistes Pédiatriques) and expands it membership to nurses and other paramedical specialties, as psychologists and physiotherapists, involved in the care for critically ill children. We further offer membership to all those healthcare professionals supporting our goals.
Our aims
Being a small specialty, the Pediatric Intensive Care community believes its strength lies in its close professional relationship and in the multidisciplinary character of our group. The core aim of Be-Pics is to promote the quality of Pediatric Intensive Care through training, research and education. Be-Pics also collects and disseminates information, supports establishment of a Belgian PICU-registry and aims to offer a forum for discussion. Be-Pics wants to convey the knowledge and organization in the field of Pediatric Intensive Care in a positive manner to the public, and seeks to transparently represent the view of its members on a national (other societies, policy makers) and international level.
Fortunately, life-threatening conditions in children are rare. However, there are important differences in the presentation and treatment of diseases leading to organ failure in children, when compared with adult patients. In addition, technical support for children with organ failure requires appropriate equipment, knowledge and experience. A holistic approach with attention to the specific psychological needs of the child and it’s family is crucial and requires the necessary expertise. In our view, care for critically ill children should be centralized in specially equipped units with specifically trained physicians and nurses, and with support from other relevant pediatric specialties. That is why we strive for the recognition of Pediatric Intensive Care Departments, as well as for the recognition of specific training programs, both in Pediatric Intensive Care Medicine as for PICU-nurses in Belgium.
To meet European standards, we work closely together with the European Society of Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care (ESPNIC).
Be-Pics aims to be an organization FOR and BY its members. As this will define how strong we are, we welcome all members to join the scientific or educational working groups and help shaping YOUR Be-Pics.
Currently we represent members working in different Belgian hospitals providing dedicated PICU-facilities.
UZ Gent
Corneel Heymanslaan 10
9000 Gent
UZ Leuven
3000 Leuven
UZ Brussel
1090 Jette
Universitair Kinderziekenhuis Koningin Fabiola
1020 Brussel
UZ Antwerpen
Drie Eikenstraat 655
2650 Edegem
ZNA Antwerpen
Blancefloerlaan 303
2050 Antwerpen
HUDERF
1020 Brussel
UCL
E. Mounierlaan 81
1200 Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe
Groupe Jolimont
Rue Ferrer 159
7100 La Louvière
CHR De la Citadelle
4000 Liège
CHC Liège Amercoeur
4020 Liège
Statutes
Governing Board
Jef Willems – Chairman
Lars Desmet – VICE-CHAIRMAN, CHAIR EDUCATIONAL AFFAIRS
Emilien Derycke – Secretary
Daphné Vens – Treasurer
Els Duval – CO-CHAIR of Educational Affairs
Tom Schepens – Chair of Scientific Affairs
Mélanie Bauwin – Board Member Nursing
Isabelle Rohart – Board Member Nursing
Jean Papadopoulos – Board Member Medical
André Mulder – Board Member Medical
All news
On January 21st, 80 Be-Pics members attended our virtual meeting ‘Life on PICU during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemia’. You can watch the presentations by Els Duval and Séverine Goenen again.
Be-Pics 5th Symposium September 14th
Please already mark September 14th in your agendas for our next Be-Pics symposium!
With a Centrally located venue - the Royal library in Brussels - and with a very relevant topic – high flow oxygen therapy - we hope to convince all of you to join us!
Please register using our external event provider, EventGoose: https://bepics.eventgoose.com/
Organization of Paediatric Intensive Care and Formation in Paediatric Intensive Care Medicine : Open letter and viewpoint Be-Pics
One of the aims of Be-Pics is to promote the recognition of PICU’s and to promote the education in paediatric intensive care medicine for medical and non-medical health professionals. In view of this, we addressed various stakeholders in the organization of healthcare and education with an open letter. We hope for a positive response and a fruitful discussion on these important matters.
The membership registration for 2023 is now open!
Every healthcare professional, albeit medical, nursing or paramedical, actively involved on a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, or who supports the aims of our society, can become a member of Be-Pics.
Benefits of membership include :
- Participation in educational and scientific activities hosted by Be-Pics, and a discount on the registration fees.
- Regular newsletters with relevant information on Pediatric Intensive Care
- The opportunity to shape our professional future by joining the working groupseducation and science.
- Representation of your professional group on a national and international level.
- Network opportunities within the Belgian PICU-community.
- Dual membership with ESPNIC (European Society of Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care) : Be-Pics members will be granted a substantial discount for the ESPNIC membership fee using the promotion code BE-PICS23E Visit https://espnic-online.org/ to discover all the benefits involved !
Are you already a Be-Pics member ? Membership extension only requires payment of the annual membership fee, which is 100€ for effective medical members and 20€ for all effective non-medical members (nurses, psychologists, physiotherapists) and for all joined members.
All payments can be made on the ING account BE 08 3632 1054 5513 of Be-Pics VZW, with mentioning of “name – membership Be-Pics 2023”.
Are you interested in becoming a new Be-pics member? Please apply via https://www.be-pics.be/en/membership
study proposal : “Prospective, multicentric randomized, controlled trial comparing midazolam and dexmedetomidine as primary sedative agent in critically ill children”.
If interested, please contact Pieter De Cock via e-mail Pieter.Decock@uzgent.be.
study proposal : “Perception of healthcare providers regarding Advanced Nurse Practitioners on Belgian PICUs : an explorative study”.
Participants will engage in an interview on this relevant topic, conducted by the main investigator. If interested, please contact Annemie Moors via e-mail annemie.moors@uzgent.be.
