Dear burn professionals,
Last three years have been exceptional in many ways and burn care community has suffered from competition on burn intensive places with covid patients and lack of manpower due to the disease. Many projects have stalled but some good things also happened. In a very short time we received well-functioning and easy to use on-line meeting platforms and affordable webinars. They have helped us to learn in a simple and practical way, but at the same time it has also become clear that personal contacts and networking are bases to develop our demanding specialty.
The recent 19th EBA congress in Torino, after three years’ pause showed the importance of meeting also face to face and the next EBA congress is already waiting around the corner, next year in Nantes, France and hosted by Franck Duteille.
Clemens Schiestl has been president of the EBA an extended period of three years since the Helsinki congress in 2019. He, and the executive committee as well as the other committees, have worked hard to develop burn care in many on-line meetings and finally face to face in Torino. I had the honour of being elected president there, this time for a shortened period of one year. We go back to the original schedule of activity next year in Nantes.
The general assembly in Torino voted four new members and now the Executive Committee has representation from United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Spain, Norway, Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy and Finland, a real international selection of professionals.
The Ukrainian war affected also the EBA. There was a well started plan to support the Russian burn centres to join the EBA activity by having an own session in Torino, but because of the situation this failed, to our and also to the Russian colleagues´ regret.
Another successful effort was to provide material support to Ukrainian burn centres, organized by Clemens Schiestl via Czech Red Cross.
EBA will soon start exchange programmes that make it possible for PAM members and doctors to have short visit to other burn centres in Europe. This, I think, is the best way to learn and to show how things are done around Europe, maybe even in a better way than we are used to do at home. I hope the centres will respond to the inquiries, where EBA asks their participation in these programmes.
There are interesting upcoming webinars and educational courses, see the EBA website. I recommend also to participate in the EMSB (Emergency Management of Severe Burn) courses, a hands-on one day course of the first 24h of burn care. This excellent concept is now spreading to new countries like Italy and Germany.
Burn centre verification is an important tool to standardize burn care and support the burn units to receive necessary means to maintain high standard activity. Last successful verification was just performed in Coimbra, Portugal. Verification of burn centres guarantees also that patients sent to those units in Mass Casualty Burn Incident situation will receive appropriate and high standard care. EMSB courses give important skills to treat the victims. in disaster settings
Last but not least, we have the European Burn Journal, EBJ , editor in-chief being the former EBA president Naiem Moiemen. The purpose is to get it indexed as soon as possible, please visit the net site and send manuscripts!
I wish that the turmoil in Europe will settle down. The recent events underline the importance to be well prepared for unexpected developments.
I wish you all a peaceful end of the year,
see you latest in Nantes!
Jyrki Vuola,
EBA President