Report
of the
Disaster Medicine section
of the
European Society for Emergency Medicine
Steve Photiou, MD, MSc (DM)
Chair, DM Section
London, March 9-10, 2012
Mission Statement
- To promote and disseminate Disaster Medicine knowledge in terms
of research, education, preparedness and training.
- To create a Disaster Medicine ‘culture and language’ throughout
Europe, thus enabling a uniform, trans-boundary response to mass
casualty events.
- To sensitise emergency physicians to Disaster Medicine education,
preparedness, prevention, mitigation and rehabilitation.
- To encourage their involvement and to raise the level of education,
training and care.
Goals and Objectives (1)
- To be the point of reference for EuSEM members interested in
cooperating in the development and the dissemination of the
Section’s goals.
- To encourage physicians who practice Disaster Medicine to
participate in EuSEM activities.
- To stimulate and implement the cooperation among EuSEM and its
DM section on the one hand and other stakeholders, such as ‘groups
of interest’ (WHO-Europe, Civil Protection Agencies and European
Health Ministries, International Societies), and international bodies
specifically dedicated to Disaster Medicine on the other.
- To be fully responsible for the academic programme of Disaster
Medicine within scientific events organised or endorsed by the
EuSEM.
- To initiate, promote, and disseminate educational activities in
Disaster Medicine through courses, projects, establishment of clinical
guidelines.
Goals and Objectives (2)
- To serve as peer reviewers for papers on Disaster Medicine
submitted to the European Journal of Emergency Medicine.
- To actively help in the development of common, trans-national
protocols which could be extremely useful throughout the European
continent in case of natural or man-made disaster, with disaster
specialists and operators speaking a common ‘language’.
- To foster the culture of Disaster Medicine, especially among
emergency physicians, as core healthcare givers in case of disaster.
- To elaborate and promote a common curriculum in Disaster
Medicine for Medical School undergraduates, as natural recipients, as
well as future healthcare givers and Emergency Medicine residents, as
future EM specialists.
- To establish an overview of the different Medical Schools curricula
and EM residencies.
- To seek dialogue and interaction with other scientific EM/DM
societies throughout Europe to better understand local problems and
conditions.
DISASTER MEDICINE SECTION MEMBERS
1. ALEXAKIS, LYKOURGOS (GREECE)
2. ANSEEUW, KURT (BELGIUM)
3. AZZARETTO, MASSIMO (ITALY)
4. BACHTIS, COSTAS (GREECE)
5. BARLETTA, CINZIA (ITALY)
6. BORTOLIN, MICHELANGELO (ITALY)
7. CODREANU, TUDOR (UK/AUSTRALIA)
8. DELLA CORTE, FRANCESCO (ITALY)
9. DELOOZ, HERMAN (BELGIUM)
10.HALPERN, PINNY (ISRAEL)
11.HOUSER, CHRISTINE (NETHERLANDS)
12.JAKUBASZKO, JULIUSZ (POLAND)
13.KHOURY, ABDO (FRANCE)
14.KURSATZ, KAI (GERMANY)
15.LAMPAKIS, STELIOS (GREECE)
16.MOLLOY, MICK (IRELAND)
17.MORTELMANS, LUC (BELGIUM)
18.PEREIRA, IRENE (PORTUGAL)
19.PHOTIOU, STEVE (CHAIR; ITALY)
20.POLITIS, KAREN (GREECE)
21.REVELLO, ALESSANDRA (ITALY)
22.RODOPLU, ULKUMEN (TURKEY)
23.RUTER, ANDERS (SWEDEN)
24.SHEMESH, ASSAF (HUNGARY)
25.ZEITOUNI, FLORENTIA (CYPRUS)
Requirement is
Active membership:
Active partecipation in the
Section’s works
Fulfillment of obligations
towards the Society (dues)
One person asked to become member but never
showed up
Two persons were “maintained” (alias: were
“given a chance”) as members notwithstanding
the fact they never made a formal statement
One person declared desire to participate
“passively”
One asked to be member of both GOIs
As usual (…) not all members participate
actively in the works (to be “pulled in”…)
Creation of two GOIs
(=Group of Interest)
GOI “ Disaster Preparedness in Europe” (DPEU)
Convener: Alessandra Revello
Abdo Khoury
Cinzia Barletta
Michelangelo Bortolin
Tudor Codreanu
Irene Pereira
Kai Kursatz
Kurt Anseeuw
Luc Mortelmans
Mick Molloy
Paula Egipto
Stelios Lampakis
Ulkumen Rodoplu
Steve Photiou
GOI “Common Curriculum in DM for Med School
undergraduates and EM residents throughout Europe”
(CCDMEU)
Convener: Massimo Azzaretto
Lykourgos Alexakis
Francesco Della Corte
Herman Delooz
Michelangelo Bortolin
Juliusz Jakubaszko
Gurkan Ersoy
Pinny Halpern
Steve Photiou
GOI Disaster Preparedness in Europe (DPEU)
Objective
The creation of a European common platform of
information/education about disasters, differentiated by age groups,
working categories, and/or social groups (clubs, etc)
Two meetings were held over-the-Web, in order to define methods,
procedures and priorities
Issue: Education/information in DM, if any, differs, among the
different EU countries - and also within the same country
Some countries do have an information/education program about
disasters, usually in school; progam is held by the teachers
A multinational survey recently
performed by many of us within
EMDM Alumni, evidentiated
almost complete lack of
information/education/behaviors
in disasters in last-year
compulsory school education
students
Decision to start with
junior-high and high-school teens
(in the meantime “pushing ahead” Disaster
Medicine culture in other social groups)
Roadmap
(to start with)
Survey (Web-based) for the
EuSEM National representatives about
how developed DM culture is in their countries
(now in elaboration by Alessandra Revello,
Tudor Codreanu and Steve Photiou)
Aim
elaboration and presentation of results to EU authorities,
to sensitize the importance of education in disasters
preliminary data and further developments
to be presented in EuSEM 2012 - Antalya
GOI Common Curriculum in Disaster Medicine in Europe
(CCDMEU) roadmap
- international survey (see below) through contacts with
EuSEM national representatives and continental institutions
commited in Disaster Medicine
- elaboration of the data obtained
- creation of an articulated framework (involving the
national EM and DM Societies)
- presentation of the data and framework in Antalya
- effort aiming at the creation of a common, shared
curriculum in Disaster Medicine
GOI CCDMEU
SURVEY concerning Disaster Medicine throughout Europe:
1) Are there any courses in Disaster Medicine in your country? Y/N
2) If so, please provide details of each course available:
-course name
-duration ( hrs & months, full time/part time, e-based)
-organizer/ supervisor' s name and type (e.g univesity, private
institution, civil protection, ministry, club etc)
-entry criteria
-level ( undergraduate, postgraduate, not accredited)
-provided autonomously or as part of other studies ( eg. 6 years
medical curriculum , part of a master course, or anyone interested can
attend etc)
- topics taught (& how many hrs each)
-teaching methodology used ( lectures, small group seminars, table
top exc. , practica eg in hospitals, computer simulations...)
3) Is there any expressed interest in this topic in
your countries? Y/N
4) If so:
- among students?
- in academic institutions?
- in goverment?
- in scientific societies?
- in research centers?
- other?
Other Suggestions
Suggestion n°1
Affiliation with academia and
institutions which are commited in
Disaster Medicine
Rationale
1) enrich culturally the DM section
(thus the Society)
2) increase membership
3) create chances to participate
actively in projects
4) creation of a pool of DM academia
Suggestion n°2
EuSEM Antalya, October 2012
1-day precongress course in DM (tbd)
1-full day Disaster Medicine track
(run thoroughly by the EuSEM DM section)
Rationale
1) EuSEM (as Society and as Venue)
is the right vehicle, given that
Disaster Medicine is an
integral part of Emergency Medicine
2) Turkey is the “perfect” terrain (DM expertise,
disasters) to enhance DM culture