The 21st International Conference on Emergency Medicine will be held this week in Melbourne on the Country of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, from 14-19 June.
The Croakey Conference News Service will cover #ICEM22 from 16-18 June; follow this handy Twitter list of presenters and participants.
The conference theme, ‘Better Care for a Better World’, could not be more timely, writes Dr Simon Judkins, a Melbourne emergency physician, a former President of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM), and the convenor of ICEM.
Simon Judkins writes:
The national and international healthcare crisis is front page news; there has never been a more important time to ask how we can improve health systems – locally, nationally and globally – amid unprecedented pressures.
To that end, in a few days, emergency doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers from 65 countries will land in Melbourne, whether in real life or virtually, to attend the 21st International Conference on Emergency Medicine (ICEM), with the theme, ‘Better Care for a Better World’.
Hosted by the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) and the International Federation for Emergency Medicine (IFEM), ICEM will run from 14-19 June, under COVID-safe protocols, at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The hybrid conference will see global health experts collaborating, connecting and learning together to discuss how we can ensure better care for a better world.
Topics will include research, trauma, paediatrics, toxicology, ultrasound, aged care, leadership, pandemic and disaster impacts, equity, climate challenges, innovation and technology and much more.
But getting to this point has been a complex journey. In 2016, when ACEM secured the rights to ICEM 2022, we had no idea what a new place the world would be in 2022.
We need this
Would it still run? We decided, ‘yes’. Then, the question was, ’Should it be virtual or in person, or both?’ When we were brave enough to decide to attempt a hybrid event, we did so in a rapidly changing, and anxiety inducing, landscape. Would travel be allowed? Would people even come from around the world?
But we moved forward. We needed to.
I understand it could seem strange for emergency physicians, the people who serve at the coalface of the health system, to hold an in-person event.
But as emergency clinicians who have been at the frontline of the pandemic response, we need this. We need an opportunity to come together, to share and learn from our collective and global experiences, to consolidate, to re-calibrate and to seek to improve the situation for the communities around the world who we serve.
But also, for ourselves. When we say the conference is focusing on better care, we mean better care for people who need healthcare, when and where they need it. But we also mean better care for healthcare workers.
Healthcare workers are the most important part of the health system. But the health workforce crisis is well publicised – senior staff are leaving the profession, due to burnout and disillusion, depriving the future cohorts of decades of experience.
Healthcare workers were breaking before the pandemic, due to longstanding systemic issues that were getting worse and worse. But COVID really put the boot in.
Unlike many workers, we couldn’t work from home during the pandemic. We have been, and remain, on the ground, sweating in PPE, and struggling under the weight of access block, dealing with ambulance ramping, overcrowding, understaffing and exhaustion.
Worse, we have too often felt unheard by the governments and systems who were supposed to support us.
Support and connect
So now, we need to come together and feel supported and connected to people who understand. We need the opportunity to reflect, restore and recover so we can continue to help others.
I’m thrilled that ICEM will be in my hometown of Melbourne. It may a bit chilly outside, but Melbourne is getting its mojo back and everyone will get a warm welcome. The city is awakening after two years of lockdowns, complexities, and chaos. It is coming alive again, and it will be great to share that.
As healthcare workers, we understand that COVID is still with us. Indoor gatherings, music festivals and big sporting events are back on, and we know that these also represent a risk of COVID spread. Caution is needed, and we will be taking appropriate measures to mitigate the risks. We can pretty much guarantee that we have a fully vaccinated crowd; it’s part of what we all had to do. Additionally, masks and RAT tests are part of our COVID-safe plans.
This is the new normal – mitigating risk and finding purpose and connection within careful boundaries.
For healthcare workers, for emergency workers, after what we have all been through, ICEM is important. Connection, debriefing, and sharing experiences with healthcare workers from all over the world is part of recovery. It is important that we bring that knowledge to try and improve things on a global scale.
So, please, put on your masks – or cosy up at home with your laptop – and join us to experience the joy of being with other healthcare workers and stakeholders who get it, at ICEM 2022.
Together we can create better care for a better world – and that better care includes better care for ourselves.
Dr Simon Judkins is a Melbourne emergency physician, a former President of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM), and the convenor of ICEM.
From Twitter
Hear from organisers
Join the conversation and tag #ICEM22 on Twitter, Facebook or Linkedin. Follow this Twitter list of #ICEM22 presenters and participants, and bookmark this link to track coverage by Croakey Conference News Service.
