Project RATEMA - one year's experience

The RATEMA project is an international cooperation between the University o f Ulm in Germany and the Urals Research Centre for Radiation Medicine in Ch elyabinsk, Russia. For one year we conducted weekly conferences between the two sites, based on a satellite link with a 384 kbit/s connection. During the videoconferences the physicians on both sides-experts in radiation medi cine-discussed the health status of Russian patients who had been chronical ly exposed to ionizing radiation in the South Urals region. The German part ners presented patients with comparable haematological and oncological dise ases. The project has shown the advantages and difficulties of working in a n international and interdisciplinary environment. The experience gained ha s been very valuable for planning new projects with similar tasks. The resu lts and the contents of the RATEMA database are the basis for education and research for physicians involved in the management of radiation victims.