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Learning platform edX has launched a free online course on ventilator operation for non-ICU medical professionals being reassigned to ICUs in response to COVID-19.

"Mechanical Ventilation for COVID-19 " takes two to five hours to complete.

takes two to five hours to complete. The course was designed in just two weeks by Dr. Susan Wilcox of Massachusetts General Hospital and Mr. Thomas Piraino of the American Association of Respiratory Care in collaboration with Harvard University, edX, and Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt's philanthropic initiative Schmidt Futures.

Dr. Susan Wilcox of Massachusetts General Hospital and Mr. Thomas Piraino of the American Association of Respiratory Care in collaboration with Harvard University, edX, and Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt's philanthropic initiative Schmidt Futures. "Mechanical Ventilation for COVID-19" also features a discussion forum where healthcare workers can find support and discuss crucial observations, treatments, and even start regional threads.

Online learning platform edX today announced a new, completely free course on ventilator operation for non-ICU medical professionals being reassigned to ICU units to combat COVID-19.

On top of dangerous shortages of personal protective equipment, ventilators, space, and personnel, hospitals also have a critical need for proper training. "Mechanical Ventilation for COVID-19" is designed for non-ICU workers who will be joining the front lines in ICUs and other critical care facilities. It was designed by Dr. Susan Wilcox and Mr. Thomas Piraino of the American Association of Respiratory Care in tandem with Harvard and edX, and funded through a grant from Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic initiative co-founded by Wendy and Eric Schmidt, Google's Executive Chairman.

The entire course can be completed in two to five hours, and it's free to access. All you'll need to do is click "enroll".

What the course covers

The course covers the principles and physiology of invasive mechanical ventilation. Among other things, students will learn how to troubleshoot the ventilator, the specifics of ventilating patients in special circumstances like Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and Obstructive Lung Disease, and how standard ventilation practices are different for COVID-19 patients.

"There are reasons to opt for early intubation for COVID-19 patients (reduces the risk of aerosolization of the virus), so we are focusing on that." Harvard University explained in a statement. "[The course] is more about patient monitoring and treatment options that non-specialists may not be familiar with than the mechanics of operating a machine."

See more: 31 free Harvard University classes you can take online

The minds behind the course

Its architects, Dr. Wilcox and Mr. Piraino, are immersed in the fight against the new coronavirus. Dr. Wilcox is Division Chief of Critical Care at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and is leading the team addressing a remarkable influx of COVID-19 patients. Mr. Piraino is the Clinical Specialist for Mechanical Ventilation for the Centre of Excellence in Mechanical Ventilation at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. "Mechanical Ventilation for COVID-19" was borne out of a desire to help their own teams, as well as the thousands of other healthcare workers around the globe who find themselves in exactly the same spot, especially as some cities may be nearing an apex.

A succinct, zero-fee online course is an efficient means for disseminating critical and universally useful information to as many healthcare professionals as possible, regardless of location. And that's why Dr. Wilcox and Mr. Piraino pulled the class together in just two weeks — on top of hours of emotionally and physically grueling hospital work.

"These are my heroes," MIT professor and edX founder and CEO Anant Agarwal told Business Insider. "Actual heroes."

The course could have a global impact

On top of its immediate usage, edX hopes "Mechanical Ventilation for COVID-19" may prove useful longterm. It has edX's standard feature of a discussion forum, in which healthcare professionals can find meaningful support amongst peers as well as a space to discuss treatments, observations, and even create trends of discussion that may be localized down to country-specific issues. The forum will be moderated by HarvardX and a medical expert who can "pin" the most useful questions and answers to the top of the forum for easy reference to good information.

Most edX courses are offered in English, but Agarwal told Business Insider that the company would attempt to make transcripts of "Mechanical Ventilation for COVID-19" available in multiple languages now that the company isn't moving at warp speed to get the course out as soon as possible.

"This effort is one of many examples of the type of community collaboration that will be required to combat the spread of COVID-19," Mr. Piraino said in edX's April 6 press release. "As the entire global medical community works together to combat this pandemic, I'm proud to work with Dr. Wilcox to create a course that's universally helpful to all medical professionals in this situation."

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If you or someone you know would benefit from Mechanical Ventilation for COVID-19, you can enroll for free here.