Pr. Franco Franchignoni, the President of the UEMS PRM Board (UEMS PRM Board), Pr. Alessandro Giustini, the President of the European Society of Rehabilitation Medicine (ESPRM) and Pr. Gustaaf Lankhorst, the President of the European Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine (EARM) and myself recently published a special report entitled “European Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, three years after the White Book” .
This report has been published in two journals, the Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine (JRM) and the European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation medicine (EJPRM). These two articles are available online free of charge.
Both journals recently produced a unified version, under the supervision of the original editors. This version is now also available on their websites and can be used by anyone wanting to have the White Book translated into other languages.
1
The White Book on physical and rehabilitation medicine in Europe
The White Book on physical and rehabilitation medicine (PRM) in Europe (WB-PRM-Europe) is a comprehensive document describing the specialty and the competencies of PRM specialists all over Europe. It was produced thanks to an impressive amount of collaborative work, first within the Union of European Medical Specialists (UEMS) Section and Board of PRM, and then within the Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine (EARM), and lastly in conjunction with the European Society of PRM (ESPRM). All the delegates participated in writing this book, and the three editors in chief were Pr. Christoph Gutenbrunner, Dr Anne Chamberlain and Pr. Anthony Ward. The copyright holders are the presidents of the UEMS PRM B and S and the EARM.
The WB-PRM-Europe was published at the same time, again with open, free on-line access to the text, in the JRM and Europa Medicophysica, which is now called the EJPRM. The WB-PRM-Europe has been frequently cited and included in the background information and the description of our specialty.
Several translations have been effected under the terms of the copyright holders and editors’ licensing conditions. A French version will be available before the national PRM Sofmer congress Marseille, which will take place on 14–16 October 2010. Our Norwegian colleagues will also be publishing a translation in 2010. In April 2008, Pr. Xanthi Michail and Pr. Nicolas Christodoulou and myself presented the WB-PRM-Europe to all the other UEMS Boards and Sections during the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of this non-profit organization, which currently includes1.5 million European medical specialists belonging to 37 specialized Boards and Sections. The president of the UEMS, Dr Zlatko Fras, declared that he was most impressed by our activities. He will be joining us tomorrow.
2
The action plan for 2008–2010
PRM B and S decided to set up an action plan for the period 2008–2010. We were aware of our strengths (active participation of the delegates, efficient systems of organization and management) as well as our weaker points (insufficient relations between B and S and national PRM bodies as well as individual PRM specialists and trainees, lack of regular exchanges with PRM journals based in Europe), and propose to increase the range of topics addressed, including environmental factors (the epidemiology of disabled persons, health management and payment systems, promoting the use of the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health/ICF and evidence based medicine).
2.1
Publications
B and S have published their action plan for 2008–2010 for PRM in Europe in four papers in the EJPRM and one in the Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (APRM) . These papers were intended to inform physiatrists and their national PRM bodies about the perspectives for EU based PRM activities.
2.2
Three domains
We have defined the three fields in which we plan to develop our work, not only within the UEMS PRM B and S, but also based on greater cooperation with the national PRM bodies and the PRM journals in Europe.
These three fields are:
- •
education, which will be handled by the Board;
- •
the field of competence (FC);
- •
PRM programs of care (PRM-PC): the last two fields will be handled by the section.
2.3
Co-operation with national physical and rehabilitation medicine bodies
All the national PRM bodies have been requested to co-operate with the B and S in these three fields (education, FC and PRM-PC). Letters of intention to co-operate have been signed between UEMS PRM B and S and several national PRM societies. We have signed agreements with organizations in France, Italy, Greece, Lithuania, Bulgaria, and other societies have applied to sign in 2010, in countries such as Portugal, Croatia, Sweden, Germany and Austria.
2.4
Cooperation with European physical and rehabilitation medicine journals
We have established co-operative links with representatives of PRM journals, who kindly attended the General Assembly meeting in Cambridge in March 2009. After this meeting, four journals and their editors in chief (in alphabetic order: Pr. Gunnar Grimby from the JRM, Dr Stefano Negrini from the PRM/EJPRM, Pr. Ulrich Smolenski from Journal of PRM, Stuttgart, and Pr. André Thévenon from APRM) agreed to publish papers and news about our activities, to promote immediate online access to full free text and to grant certified PRM Board specialists reduced rates. It is now proposed to pursue these co-operative efforts to the full.
2.5
Co-operation with the ESPRM, the ISPRM and participation in National congresses
We recently participated in some National congresses and in the Congress of the European Society of PRM in Bruges 2008 and the Congress of the International Society of PRM in Istanbul 2009. Thanks to our excellent relations with the Presidents of these societies and the Presidents of the congresses, we were given an opportunity of presenting our activities in the main fields covered by the UEMS PRM Board and Section: education, field of competence and PRM Programs of Care (PRM-PC).
2
The action plan for 2008–2010
PRM B and S decided to set up an action plan for the period 2008–2010. We were aware of our strengths (active participation of the delegates, efficient systems of organization and management) as well as our weaker points (insufficient relations between B and S and national PRM bodies as well as individual PRM specialists and trainees, lack of regular exchanges with PRM journals based in Europe), and propose to increase the range of topics addressed, including environmental factors (the epidemiology of disabled persons, health management and payment systems, promoting the use of the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health/ICF and evidence based medicine).
2.1
Publications
B and S have published their action plan for 2008–2010 for PRM in Europe in four papers in the EJPRM and one in the Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (APRM) . These papers were intended to inform physiatrists and their national PRM bodies about the perspectives for EU based PRM activities.
2.2
Three domains
We have defined the three fields in which we plan to develop our work, not only within the UEMS PRM B and S, but also based on greater cooperation with the national PRM bodies and the PRM journals in Europe.
These three fields are:
- •
education, which will be handled by the Board;
- •
the field of competence (FC);
- •
PRM programs of care (PRM-PC): the last two fields will be handled by the section.
2.3
Co-operation with national physical and rehabilitation medicine bodies
All the national PRM bodies have been requested to co-operate with the B and S in these three fields (education, FC and PRM-PC). Letters of intention to co-operate have been signed between UEMS PRM B and S and several national PRM societies. We have signed agreements with organizations in France, Italy, Greece, Lithuania, Bulgaria, and other societies have applied to sign in 2010, in countries such as Portugal, Croatia, Sweden, Germany and Austria.
2.4
Cooperation with European physical and rehabilitation medicine journals
We have established co-operative links with representatives of PRM journals, who kindly attended the General Assembly meeting in Cambridge in March 2009. After this meeting, four journals and their editors in chief (in alphabetic order: Pr. Gunnar Grimby from the JRM, Dr Stefano Negrini from the PRM/EJPRM, Pr. Ulrich Smolenski from Journal of PRM, Stuttgart, and Pr. André Thévenon from APRM) agreed to publish papers and news about our activities, to promote immediate online access to full free text and to grant certified PRM Board specialists reduced rates. It is now proposed to pursue these co-operative efforts to the full.
2.5
Co-operation with the ESPRM, the ISPRM and participation in National congresses
We recently participated in some National congresses and in the Congress of the European Society of PRM in Bruges 2008 and the Congress of the International Society of PRM in Istanbul 2009. Thanks to our excellent relations with the Presidents of these societies and the Presidents of the congresses, we were given an opportunity of presenting our activities in the main fields covered by the UEMS PRM Board and Section: education, field of competence and PRM Programs of Care (PRM-PC).
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