Eva Johansson Backman – Report from European Board of Dermato-Venereology 2015 – 2016
riculum regarding the knowledge and skills that should be acquired by the specialists who are largely responsible for this patient group . The intention is that this curriculum should be incorporated in the specialist training programs on a national level . A proposal on what requirements should be met in order for a clinic to be classified as a centre of excellence for wound healing , both in terms of expertise and also with regard to equipment and facilities , was presented and will be further developed .
Decision concerning the length of specialist training and the official name of the specialty
The EBDV has submitted to the UEMS ( for further communication to the European Commission ), a document which states that the length of a specialist training program in Dermatovenereology in Europe is 5 years and that the title of the specialty is Dermatology and Venereology ( Dermatovenereology )
National delegates
The EBDV wants to see better representation of national delegates at the Board meetings which are held twice annually , as well as increased participation in the work carried out in the various internal working groups . It also wants to ensure that the national organizations get information about the on-going work in the EBDV / UEMS . There are a few countries who have not had a representative attending the meetings , or participating in any internal work for a number of years .
Economy
EBDV has a balanced budget and 2015 ended with a smaller surplus . This was mainly due to slightly lower costs than expected for the meetings during 2015 as well as lower than expected costs for the organization of the specialist exam . The national fee to EBDV will be unchanged in 2016 , 3 Euro / member .
There is on-going work to get this document repealed and to prevent the CEN from carrying out future standardizations ; that this should be left to the medical profession itself who has the collective expertise to do this . This work has , to a large extent , taken place outside the EBDV . Several countries , in particular Germany , have been active in this process .
EBDV – external work / representation
During the past year the EBDV has , through representation from the board , participated in two UEMS council meetings , in which central work , including the budget and work in different subsections have been presented . There have also been two CESMA ( specialist exam ) meetings . At these meetings topics regarding the creation of good multiple-choice questions and single best answers have been addressed . There is a desire for uniformity in the construction of questions . During the meetings inspiring examples from specialties that has had a great success in raising interest and participation in the European exam were highlighted , where the exam reflects a new common European curriculum for which wide acceptance among the member states has been reached .
During the EACCME meeting , UEMS Advisory Council for CME-CPD , new criteria for live educations have been discussed and agreed upon . New potential areas for CME accreditations has also been on the agenda . The president of the EBDV also participated at the EDF ’ s meeting in Switzerland at the beginning of this year . An excellent report of the meeting , written by Professor Anders Vahlquist , can be found an earlier issue of Forum for Dermatology and Venereology ( 1 ).
For in-depth information on the EBDV and the UEMS there is additional material on their websites ( 2 , 3 ) and it is also possible to contact the national EBDV representatives .
European Committee for Standardization ( CEN )
In Europe , there is a committee that works on standardization issues , European Committee for Standardization ( CEN ). Over the past few years this committee has performed work on standardization of different medical procedures , among them aesthetic surgery as well as aesthetic non-surgical procedures . This document regulates competency requirements as well as ethical considerations , the use of medications , anaesthetics , etc . Despite protests from many medical organizations at the national level , as well as organizations at the EU level ( the UEMS with subdivisions ) this document was approved . A number of people have considered this process non-transparent and feel that there has been inadequate consultation of experts .
Acknowledgement
Ellen Mooney , Reykjavik , Iceland is gratefully acknowledged for her work with proofreading .
References
1 . Vahlquist A . Report from the European Dermatology Forum ( EDF ) Meeting in Zurich on 21 – 23 January 2016 . Forum Nord Derm Ven 2016 ; 21 : 68 – 69 .
2 . Union Europénne des Médecins Spécialistes . https :// www . uems . eu /.
3 . European Board of Dermato-Venereology . http :// www . uems-ebdv . org / web /.
106 Meeting Report Forum for Nord Derm Ven 2016 , Vol . 21 , No . 4