Emergency and intensive care medicine needs interdisciplinary teaching andtraining

While substantial and practical qualification for medical practice within t he framework of emergency medical services have to be proven by an advanced training, there are no special training programs for in-hospital emergency situations. As in the emergency room a transparent in-hospital emergency m anagement has to be established including definite competencies to avoid ti me delays and inadequate treatment due to disputes about competence. Especi ally surgical intensive care medicine is an interdisciplinary task, requiri ng the participation of the surgeon as a responsible partner. Thus, the phy sician working in ICUs needs professional qualification and specialized kno wledge as well as marked competence to co-operate. In any case the final cl inical responsibility has to be taken over by physicians who not only have performed their internship on a ICU but are highly qualified in the whole r ange of intensive care medicine including all topics required in advanced i ntensive care medicine curricula.