University of Ottawa Simulation Based ECT Course for Practitioners

Core and Advanced Concepts of ECT Practice: Foundations and Beyond

Course Overview

Founded by Dr. Kiran Rabheru, this is the first simulation-based ECT course proven to increase skills, knowledge and confidence for ECT practitioners in a randomized-controlled trial compared to traditional training methods. (J ECT 2013, 29(4):291-6) The Ottawa Hospital and the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre deliver world-class care to their patients every day in affiliation with the University of Ottawa. Together, they work collaboratively to ensure a high standard of patient safety by training health-care providers such as physicians and nurses through education and research.

Sessions

Topics include:

Practical Aspects of ECT
Hands-on Uncomplicated Titration Workshop
EEG Interpretation
Indications and Contraindications
Patient Selection and Pre-ECT evaluation
Adverse Effects and Informed Consent
Management and Maintenance
Hands-on Inadequate and Prolonged Seizures
Approach to missed, aborted/short and prolonged seizures
Management in the pregnant patient

Course Requirements and Prerequisites

This course is designed for physicians and residents; exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Delivery Method

One-day, in-person, training program.

Certification and Accreditation

This event is an Accredited Simulation Activity (Section 3) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and approved by the University of Ottawa’s Office of Continuing Professional Development. You may claim a maximum of 9.00 hours (credits are automatically calculated).

Course Details

Date and Time: February 8, 2026 7:30am - 5pm

Location: University of Ottawa Skills and Simulation Centre

725 Parkdale Ave, Ottawa, ON

Cost: $1350 plus HST

Registration and Networking Breakfast

Lecture 1: Practical Aspects of ECT

At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
1. Summarize the current opinion on stimulate electrode placement and stimulus parameters, including ultra-brief pulse width
2. Demonstrate basic knowledge of the ictal EEG features and their use in determination of seizure quality
3. Describe preselected dosing and threshold-based dosing strategies
4. Illustrate commonly used electrode placements (bitemporal, d’Elia, bifrontal, LART)
5. Recognize the necessity for suprathreshold stimulation in unilateral electrode placements
6. Describe ways to titrate the electrical dosing for different groups of patients to seizure threshold
7. Describe treatment schedules using appropriate standardized tables for electrical dosing
8. Describe and draw the electrical waveform used in most contemporary ECT devices
9. Calculate the charge delivered during a stimulus in millicoulombs (mC)
10. Recognize the distinct impact of each parameter of the ECT stimulus (pulse width, current, frequency, duration)

Workshops A

Topic A: Hands-on Uncomplicated Titration Workshop
At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
1. Demonstrate routine skin and scalp preparation for ECT
2. Demonstrate 3 different electrode placements
3. Demonstrate titration method of stimulus dosing
4. Demonstrate principle of motor seizure monitoring
5. Demonstrate principle of EEG seizure monitoring

Topic B: EEG Interpretation
At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
1. Describe the EEG morphology of a typical seizures in ECT
2. Identify seizure termination accurately
3. Identify common EEG artifacts in ECT

Lecture 2 Indications, Contraindications, Patient Selection, Pre-ECT evaluation, Adverse Effects, and Informed Consent

At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
1. Describe the primary indications for ECT
2. Describe the secondary indications for ECT
3. Describe the Contraindications to ECT treatment
4. Summarize the Patient Selection, and Special Populations
5. Describe the Adverse effects of ECT including Cognitive side effects
6. Summarize the Pre-ECT Evaluation/work-up and documentation
7. Describe the Informed Consent Process

Lecture 3 Management and Maintenance

At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
1. Plan and monitor a course of ECT, including selection of treatment frequency, assessment of efficacy, and monitoring of side effects, including cognitive side-effects
2. Choose and manage concomitant psychopharmacology
3. Decide when to stop an acute course of treatments and plan an appropriate post-ECT management strategy
4. Identify patients who may be appropriate for MECT and manage a course of MECT.

Workshops B

Topic C: Hands-on Inadequate and Prolonged Seizure
At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
1. Describe features of Inadequate Seizure using motor and EEG monitoring techniques
2. List factors that contribute to seizure inadequacy
3. Demonstrate ways & means of improving seizure adequacy
4. Describe features of seizure using motor and EEG monitoring techniques
5. List factors that contribute to prolonged seizures
6. Demonstrate ways & means of managing prolonged seizures

Topic D: Approach to missed, aborted/short, and prolonged seizures
At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
1. Identify ways to determine adequacy of seizures and ways to augment them when missed or aborted
2. Identify ways to identify prolonged seizures and ways to manage them
3. Identify and initiate management of Status Epilepticus

Program

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