Common Visions

Since its creation in 1972, the objective and main mission of the European Association of HospitalManagers has been to be at the leading edge of evolutions in the European hospital sector and to encourage exchanges among member states. It is in this way that, following on fromtechnological andmanagerial developments, as well as further to the hospital reforms carried out in the various European countries, the EAHM has significantly contributed to discussions and the exchange of ideas and experiences. The Association has alsomade it possible for a European vision of the organisation of healthcare systems to emerge.

From this point of view, there have been considerable changes over the last 30 years with regard to the financing of hospital systems, their internal organisation or even the dynamics put in place everywhere to constantly improve the quality of healthcare and assess the level of quality reached.

For each of these subjects, the EAHMtook part in discussions and was able to encourage exchanges among European hospitalmangers in order to present common visions, which reach beyond the differences and particularities specific to each member country.

The work done by the Association on accreditation and certification systems provides a convincing illustration in that respect. It is in fact fromanalysing the systems put into place in the various states to evaluate and continuously improve the quality of the organisations, and from reflecting on the differences and strengths of each party involved, that the EAHM is able to make an important contribution to the emergence of a European standard on the subject. This was shown in the discussions held at our latest seminar in Düsseldorf.

This new issue of (E)Hospital gives pride of place to current or future developments in hospital organisations. These far-reaching changes will inevitably have consequences on our managerial practices and require, more than ever, common analyses since the challenges to overcome are so large and complex. For example, this is the case with new manager support technologies mentioned in several articles (multimedia data management, eBusiness, etc.) or even new technologies for the operating rooms of the future, which are also discussed in this issue.

Moreover, with the upcoming French presidency of the European Union, (E)Hospital chose to focus on the French hospital system which, like those of its European neighbours, has been involved in a vast reform and reorganisation drive for several years.

The various articles focussing on these developments willmake it possible to see that, beyond organisational specifics, this same fundamental movement is underway in the various European states, whether it concerns the financing methods of hospitals, their governance or even the training of executive officers.

Faced with these developments and staying true to its tradition, the EAHM will promote the exchange of ideas and formulate proposals. It will thus actively participate in the discussions that will be initiated when France took on the rotating presidency of the European Union, which promises to be an importantmoment for the advancement of European policies with regard to healthcare. It will also be keen on making its next conference, to be held next September in Graz, a new high time for exchanges among hospital managers.

For this, and now more than ever as a result of the critical nature of the discussions underway, the EAHM is counting on your active participation.

Paul Castel,

EAHM President