UEMS Section of Rheumatology
European Board of Rheumatology /
Meeting of the UEMS Section / European Board of Rheumatology
Friday, 15 June 2007 / 17:00 - 19:00
CCIB – Centre Convencions Internacional Barcelona
MINUTES (Revised & Approved on 1 December 2007)
Participants
/Apologies
Country
/ Name / Country / NameCyprus / Marios Clerides / Austria / Klaus Machold
Denmark / Elsebeth Nielsen / Croatia / Nada Cikes
Finland / Markku Kauppi / Finland / Marjatta Leirisalo-Repo
France / Frédéric Lioté / France / Jean-Philippe Sanchez
Greece / Lazaros Sakkas / Germany / Gerd Burmeister
Italy / Guido Valesini / Spain / Indalecio Monteagudo Saéz
Malta / Franco Camilleri / Sweden / Roger Hesselstrand
Netherlands / Hans Bijlsma[1] / United Kingdom / Deborah Bax
Portugal / Maria João Henriques Salvador /
Romania / H Bolosiu
Slovakia / Ivan Rybar
Slovenia / Sonia Praprotnik
M Tomsic
Sweden / Frank Wollheim
Switzerland / André Aeschlimann
United Kingdom / Anthony Woolf
(Presidency) / José da Silva
Karen Lisbeth Faarvang
Stefaan Poriau
PWG / Cátia Duarte
Agenda item / Follow-up by:
1. Minutes of Meeting held on 2 December 2006 in London
The minutes were approved.
/ (none)
2. Report of the President
SECTION / EUROPEAN BOARD
o New membersJosé da Silva welcomed new delegates since our last meeting in London December 2006: Prof Arnor Vikingsson from Iceland, Prof Wenche Koldingsnes from Norway, Prof Ivan Rybar from Slovakia and Prof Roger Hesselstrand from Sweden.
We still miss delegates from the following countries: Azerbaijan (associate member), Czech Republic, Estonia, Israel (Observer), Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Slovakia.
o Charter on Training
The Charter on Training was finalized and adopted in December 2006 and it will be submitted for publication in Annals of Rheumatic Diseases.
o Standards of Care/Rheumatology Service
Our document on Standards of Care/Rheumatic Service has been published in Annals of Rheumatic Diseases. The cost for extra pages amounted to 2.640 Euro.
o Core curriculum
One of the main tasks of the UEMS Rheumatology Section in 2007 is the revision of the Core Curriculum for Postgraduate Training of Rheumatology. The revision was initiated in London in December 2006 where four working groups were set up. A first proposal was ready in January 2007, and the chairpersons of the four working groups together with the President and Honorary Secretary elaborated on it in Zurich in March 2007.
The four working groups[2] are each working with two roles, while José da Silva and Karen Lisbeth Faarvang are working with the role of medical expert.
The four convenors all report, however, that feedback from the group members is scarce, which results in delaying the process as well as loss of representativeness in the document. We all wish the revision of the curriculum to progress from the group works, but the working method is apparently not successful.
The meeting discussed ways of making the work more effective. It was decided that individual members should be asked to contribute at a later stage of the document development. Preparation work should be carried out centrally.
José da Silva proposed to hire an educationalist to:
· make a professional appraisal of the seven roles
· describe the proposed evaluation instruments
· structure the curriculum units
· write the chapters regarding curriculum planning and management and quality control
This proposal was approved and the meeting decided to hire the services of Educationalist Reginald Dennick (Assistant Director of Medical Education at the University of Nottingham) to perform this task. Budget: 3000 Euro.
The following time schedule was approved:
· a draft should be finished in September
· appraised in October
· discussed in Copenhagen in December
· January 2008 sent to national societies
· final approval at our meeting in connection with the EULAR congress 2008 in Paris.
A short discussion about a European training passport was held and will be taken up again.
UEMS Brussels
José da Silva and Karen Lisbeth Faarvang reported on the meeting of the presidents and secretaries of the UEMS specialist sections & European Boards held in Brussels 26th – 27th of may 2007.New strategy paper
A proposal for a new strategy 2008-2012 for the UEMS was presented, see attached file (Annex I). The paper was drafted by the president of UEMS, Zlatko Fras, in collaboration with the members of the Enlarged Executive Committee as well as a specialist taskforce. The aim of these activities is to bring food for thought on the future for UEMS. This founding document is also likely to bring changes to the function of the organisation.
The plan is to have the strategy approved as quickly as possible, and the document is to be discussed and changes to be proposed until October 2007 and a final approval is planed in March 2008. The paper has been circulated to all members of the Rheumatology Section and comments have been received from only two. Other members were invited to respond as soon as possible.
Examinations
At the meeting in Brussels, a spontaneous working group about European examinations presented some proposals. UEMS decided this should be considered under the umbrella of the Postgraduate working group. This issue was brought to discussion at the meeting of the Rheumatology Section in seeking guidance for our contribution to these issues at UEMS. Members expressed very opposing opinions on this topic: the Presidency has no mandate for a defined position regarding European examinations, but it was decided to participate in the working group - more to listen than to make any decisions.
EACCME
EACCME was discussed again. At present, three specialities have made their own accreditation systems: the cardiologists, the neurologists and the haematologists.
A working group was set up in November 2006 to evaluate the existing system and to propose a new. The group has - it seems - had difficulties getting started, but is now working. The specialities which started their own accreditation are represented in the working group. We all look forward to the result of their work.
Liaison with other boards and sections
José da Silva reported that the President of the UEMO has showed interest in developing cooperation, but he has not, as yet, found the time for a meeting to discuss this issue. Efforts will continue.No formal contacts with other sections have occurred so far.
/ Secretary & Secretariat to contact national org./societies
Working group members to participate in small meetings
José da Silva to contact Reg Dennick
.
José/Karen/Dennick
Members
Working group members to consider
All members to consider the UEMS document.
3. Report of the Secretary
Rheumatology Section Website
We are planning to develop a new website for the UEMS Rheumatology Section. The layout and contents of the website were presented and approved at the meeting. The website will be on-line in the autumn of 2007. The Section will, of course, still have its core information available at the UEMS website under the section/board link and a link to the new website will be added to that information.The costs of developing the website will be approximately 750 EURO. The yearly cost will be approximately 19 EURO. The budget of the website was approved.
Rules of procedure
A revision of the rules of procedures is in progress. They will be sent to the members and the national societies in autumn 2007. We would like to have any suggestions for changes prior to our next meeting and, thus, have the rules of procedure ready at the meeting in Copenhagen in December for discussion and final approval. / The Secretary and Secretariat to launch website.The Secretary and Secretariat to circulate draft rules of procedure.
4. Report of the Treasurer
The treasurer presented six documents, which had also been sent by mail to the delegates prior to the meeting:
· Financial statement 2006
· Financial statement 2007 chronological (till 31.05.2007)
· Financial statement 2007 per category (till 31.05.2007)
· Trial balance 2007
· Situation invoice per country (till 31.05.2007)
· Survey of situation all countries. (till 31.05.07)
The budget shows a deficit of 17,000 € mostly due to the cost of the organisation of the meetings. In the prognosis, the treasurer had already made allowance of the cost of the meeting in Copenhagen in December 2007. Probably, most of these costs will be paid in 2008.
With a contribution of 2 € per rheumatologist per country, our section has an income of 15,000 € per year. This amount will increase with contributions from new countries which have not previously sent delegates to our meetings.
However, there is no certainty of the real number of rheumatologists in each country.
The total capital of our section amounted to 34,593.00 € at 31.05.07. Some countries still have to pay their contribution, with a total sum of 14.000 €, which brings the total sum to 48600,00 €.
(See document: Situation of invoice per country/ Situation all countries.)
If we wish to fully finance the ordinary meetings and the meetings of the working groups, there is a need for a higher contribution. At the December meeting, the treasurer plans to propose an increase of the contribution to 3 € per rheumatologist per country. / The Treasurer topropose increase
of contribution
in December
5. Future activities – consider future activities and priorities
Core curriculum
See item 2.EACCME
See item 2.
Provision of care: needs of people with arthritis
A suggestion of having provision on care on the agenda was put forth. Anthony Woolf was asked - and accepted - to give a statement at our meeting in December
/ Tony Wool to present a statement in December.
6. Any Other Business
Members were asked to consider who is going to be the next president. Election of president-elect is on the agenda in December 2007.
/ All members to consider nomination of president-elect.
7. Date of next meeting in Copenhagen
30 November – 2 December 2007
Minutes prepared by Karen Lisbeth Faarvang and José da Silva.
Secretariat: Ms Iben Petersen, Bratskovvej 19, DK-2720 Vanloese, Denmark * * phone: +45 2728 9207
[1] Hans Biljsma were also present in his capacity as Chariman of the EURLAR Postgraduate Training Committee
[2] (A): Communication/Collaborator – Tony Woolf (B) Manager/Health Advocate – Klaus Machold (C) Scholar/Professional – Alex Olivé