Emergency medicine recognized as a medical specialty in Iceland

Baldursson, Jón

doi:10.1097/00063110-199709000-00015

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Although only one of the newly hired staff was residency trained in EM, this decision, which became effective on 1 September 1991, was important in promoting the development of EM as a specialty in Iceland. It soon became evident that the only staff member who was at home in the Casualty Department was the EP who became certified as a specialist in EM by the Ministry of Health in 1992 [ 4 ]. For the orthopedic surgeons on the other hand, being tied up on the Casualty shop floor for two to three shifts a week would take them away from their orthopedic duties in the operating room, on the ward and in the clinic for a significant part of their time.…”

Section: The Early Yearsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The first Nordic country to formally recognize EM as an independent specialty and start to incorporate the model of EM into the health care system was Iceland, where the first emergency physician (EP) was licensed as a specialist in 1992, a quarter of a century ago [ 4 ]. Recently, the specialty of EM has got its wings in other Nordic countries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Denmark on its side has four professors of EM, thus building academic foundations for the specialty, and the decision to adopt the specialty of EM was recently made by the Ministry of Health [ 10 ]. In a situation, where new countries are in the process of incorporating a new specialty into a Nordic health care system, it might be worthwhile to consider the lessons learned from this process over the last 25 years in Iceland [ 4 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Emergency medicine for 25 Years in Iceland – history of the specialty in a nutshell

Baldursson

Björnsson

Palomäki

2018

Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med

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After the early implementation of Emergency Medicine (EM) 25 years ago, Iceland became the first Nordic country to nationally realize the benefits of this specialty. However, the road has been rocky as in many other countries. The early years of EM in Iceland were characterized by a significant shortage of resources, particularly a lack of medical staff dedicated to EM and properly trained for the services required. The main task for the first couple of decades was to build the infrastructure of an operational emergency department based primarily on the model of EM. Although these efforts eventually led to a critical number of specialists becoming certified in EM, recruiting more people remains a priority in order to fully meet the need for specialty trained emergency physicians in Iceland. A key step towards achieving this goal was the initiation of a two-year residency program for specialty training in EM in year 2002. The program was based on a curriculum produced by the Icelandic Society for Emergency Medicine, which had been founded in year 2000. This training program is currently being redeveloped and the curriculum of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine in the UK will be adopted for use in Iceland. Another important milestone was the appointment of the first faculty member dedicated to EM at the University of Iceland. This created an opportunity to teach medical students EM and advance training at the graduate level. Also, conditions for scientific research in EM have been improved, following the establishment of an EM research institute in 2010.Other Nordic countries may be able to benefit from lessons learned and experiences gained from the development of emergency medicine in Iceland during the past quarter of a century.

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Section: The Early Yearsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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