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.

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)

DISASTER MEDICINE SECTION MEMBERS

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 KhouryCinzia BarlettaMichelangelo BortolinTudor CodreanuIrene PereiraKai KursatzKurt AnseeuwLuc MortelmansMick MolloyPaula EgiptoStelios LampakisUlkumen RodopluSteve Photiou

GOI “Common Curriculum in DM for Med School undergraduates and EM residents throughout Europe” (CCDMEU)Convener: Massimo Azzaretto Lykourgos AlexakisFrancesco Della CorteHerman DeloozMichelangelo BortolinJuliusz JakubaszkoGurkan ErsoyPinny HalpernSteve Photiou

GOI Disaster Preparedness in Europe (DPEU)

ObjectiveThe 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, evidentiatedalmost 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)

Aimelaboration 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 CCDMEUSURVEY 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 membership3) create chances to participate actively in projects4) 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

Steve