Significant restrictions on the ability to hold face-to-face conferences have been imposed in the scientific world to reduce the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. Thus, research by our foreign colleagues showed that in 2020 44.4% of planned conferences were canceled, and many were postponed to another date. In 2021, various forms of online communication were proposed to continue sharing knowledge. At the same time, 40% of scientific forums were held virtually, 26.7% ‒ in a hybrid format, and only 16.7% ‒ in person.
Virtual and hybrid conference formats help to share knowledge, despite the limitations associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Such formats are environment friendly, can attract a large audience, and save delegates time. Therefore, as some researchers suggest, virtual platforms will continue to integrate into conferences in post-pandemic times.
The biggest advantage of this format is that virtual conferences have considerable flexibility in choosing the time and place. Thus, they can host a larger number of participants compared to face-to-face conferences.
On November 11-12, 2021, the Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care took part in the Congress of Eurasian Society of Emergency Medicine, where the Head of the Department, Professor Oleg Loskutov, reported on the latest achievements of the department in the field of Anesthesiology and shared with colleagues the vision of some topical problems of intensive care.
According to the organizers of this forum, such events contribute to the expansion of international scientific borders and strengthen ties between different universities.
However, as Professor Oleg Loskutov noted in his speech, face-to-face conferences have characteristics that cannot be reproduced by virtual means. They allow participants to communicate and exchange ideas. In addition, virtual conferences cannot provide opportunities for hands-on learning. All those present supported this idea and expressed a desire to participate in similar forums in the future in full-time format.