The European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) has approved new training requirements for clinicians working in paediatric emergency medicine (PEM).  This is intended to address some of the existing problems related to PEM training and the availability of specialist Paediatric Emergency Physicians (P-EPs) in Europe. Once training has been completed, P-EPs will be expected to have EM competencies in addition to those equivalent to the core paediatric curriculum, enabling them to give high-quality and appropriate care to children in the emergency setting.

The updated 2nd edition of the PEM ETR was approved during the UEMS Council meeting in Tunis in April. The syllabus, a revised version of the 1st European Training Requirements for Paediatric Emergency Medicine (2018), was created by the Curriculum Development Special Interest Group of the Paediatric Branch society (EUSEP) of the European Society of Emergency Medicine (EUSEM), with stakeholders from the European Academy of Paediatrics (EAP) and The Union Européenne des Medicins Specialistes - Emergency Medicine (UEMS-EM) section.

Input from the PEM working group, which included representatives from EUSEM, UEMS-EM, and EAP, was instrumental in getting the need for a new ETR accepted and to its presentation to the UEMS Council, said Dr Ruud G. Nijman, from the Department of Paediatric Emergency Medicine, St Mary’s Hospital. London, UK, who took the lead in discussions. “We hope that the new PEM ETR will help to improve the situation revealed in a paper published in 2024 in The European Journal of Emergency Medicine that drew attention to significant gaps in the time spent on PEM training across Europe,” he said. “The new ETR should help produce more expert PEM clinicians capable of teaching trainees in the specialism, thus enabling them to look after acutely injured and unwell children in EM settings.”

The expected outcomes of the ETR include that specialist Paediatric Emergency Physicians (P-EPs)

will be able to look after patients with a wide range of pathologies, from the life threatening to the self-limiting, within all paediatric age groups in the ED setting, and that all decisions should be made in the best interests of the child or young person in their care. Principles of safeguarding children and young people should be integrated with every patient contact, and all P-EPs should be able to identify and provide appropriate support to vulnerable patients who may not be able take care of themselves.

“As well as helping to provide improved patient care, this ETR is an important document for the growing PEM community in Europe, and will be a source of inspiration and political leverage at a national level in trying to grow the speciality,” said Dr Nijman.

Register now for the joint 8th Croatian Emergency Medicine Congress and the 7th South-Eastern European Emergency and Disaster Medicine Congress (SEEEDMC), taking place in Opatija, Croatia from May 6–9, 2026.

This joint event offers a unique opportunity for EUSEM members to connect with emergency medicine professionals from across Europe and beyond, fostering the exchange of knowledge, clinical experience, and best practices in both emergency and disaster medicine. United by a shared commitment, with the aim of further improving the quality of care for patients in critical situations.

The congress will feature a dynamic scientific program (you can find this by clicking on the link below) with contributions from leading international experts, interactive discussions, and practical insights directly applicable to daily clinical practice. It also provides an excellent setting for networking, collaboration, and strengthening professional relationships.

Featuring some outstanding, international speakers such as Dr. Robert Leach, Prof. David Carr, Dr. Ashraf Butt, Dr. Višnja Nesek Adam and many more (for a complete list, use the programme link below):

Use this link for the full Programme: https://return.flexmail.eu/content/35654/a2bf0a96-d40b-4323-8892-b6f95df68efc/Hitna-program-A4_v2.pdf

Use this link for Registration: https://seedmc2026.conventuscredo.hr/registration/

The Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC), a collaboration between the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) and the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), has released updated international guidelines for the treatment of sepsis in both adults and children. Based on the latest clinical evidence, the new guidelines provide more precise, practical recommendations to support faster decision-making in this life-threatening medical emergency.

Key updates include 46 new recommendations for adult care and 20 new pediatric-specific recommendations, addressing areas such as early detection, antimicrobial therapy, hemodynamic stabilization, and long-term recovery. The guidelines also introduce user-friendly tools - including visual aids, summary tables, and quick-reference materials - to improve bedside implementation.

Developed by global panels of multidisciplinary experts, including patient representatives, the guidelines emphasize tailored care across diverse healthcare settings, including low-resource environments. They also highlight the growing importance of post-sepsis rehabilitation and long-term follow-up, particularly for children, where survival rates have improved but ongoing health challenges remain common.

Overall, the updated guidelines aim to enhance clinical practice worldwide by combining robust evidence with practical usability, ultimately improving outcomes for patients affected by sepsis.

• Register now for EUSEM 2026: https://eusemcongress.org/register/
• Sign up / Renew your EUSEM Membership here: https://www.eusem.org/membership/login

Today is the Abstract Submission deadline at 17:00 CEST.

For further details and submission head to this page: 

https://eusemcongress.org/submit-your-abstracts/

We have some additional palces remaining for EBEEM Spring Part B. Applications close: 31 March 2026!

• Submit an application via your MyEUSEM account - https://www.eusem.org/membership/login 

• Further information on the exam & applications here - https://eusem.org/ebeem/part-b

• Discount available for EUSEM members (only valid if membership was purchased before exam registration. No refunds will be provided for memberships purchased afterward).