Mastering Intensive Care 96 - Rob Mac Sweeney - The man behind Critical Care Reviews
The guest on this episode is Professor Rob Mac Sweeney, who founded and leads the hugely valuable organisation Critical Care Reviews.
Rob is a Consultant Intensivist at the Royal Victoria Hospital and an Honorary Professor of Practice at Queen's University in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Rob founded Critical Care Reviews back in 2008 and this has grown to now be holding two meetings a year where the largest trials in critical care are presented, critiqued and analysed. Critical Care Reviews also has a comprehensive website, a podcast and publishes a newsletter and a paper of the day, amongst other things, as a way of disseminating the most up to date science in critical care.
If you are fascinated about the story of the man behind Critical Care Reviews, you'll love listening to this.
In this episode, Rob talks about:
- How Critical Care Reviews began as a simple website
- His anxiety when he sent the first newsletter
- How the website and newsletter developed into a scientific meeting
- The attraction of trialists with their RCTs to the growing Critical Care Reviews meeting
- The multi-media output of Critical Care Reviews
- The importance of a consistent reading habit with the medical literature
- The significance of high-quality production values for the Critical Care Reviews meeting
- His passion of sharing science to improve patient care
- How study investigators gain a slot at a Critical Care Reviews meeting
- What he requests from study investigators submitting a study
- The magical quality of significant study results being presented for the first time
- How Critical Care Reviews expanded to hold a meeting in Melbourne
- How he translates evidence into clinical practice
- What's unique about his ward round
- His thoughts on the teaching and sharing of non-clinical skills
- How his family provides solace from work
- How he uses running to manage his wellbeing (often in the dark)
- And, some closing advice
Please enjoy listening to Rob Mac Sweeeney.
Andrew Davies
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About the Mastering Intensive Care podcast: The podcast aims to inspire and empower you, through conversations about the human side of Intensive Care, to bring your best self to work, with a focus on compassion, collaboration and personal wellbeing.
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Relevant links
Critical Care Reviews 2025 (CCR25) Meeting - June 11-13, 2025
Critical Care Reviews Down Under 2025 (CCR Down Under 2025) Meeting - December 9-10, 2025
Critical Care Reviews Newsletter
Mastering Intensive Care podcast
Mastering Intensive Care page on Facebook
Mastering Intensive Care at Life In The Fast Lane
Andrew Davies on X (Twitter): @andrewdavies66
Andrew Davies on Instagram: @andrewdavies66