Ramiro Veríssimo (Porto, Portugal)
    rave@netcabo.pt

Giovanni Fava (Bologna, Italy)
    Gafava@Libero.It

Carl Scheidt (Freiburg, Germany)
    Gafava@Libero.It

Bohdan Wasilewski (Warsaw, Poland)
    b.wasilewski@ips.pl

  Tatjana Sivik (Gothemburg, Sweden)
    t.sivik@ipsoma.se

Gunta Ancane (Riga, Latvia)
    ancane@parks.lv

  Kristina Orth-Gomer (Stockholm, Sweden)
    k.orth-gomer@phs.ki.se

  ... ... ... ...
 

Necessity for postgraduate training in Psychosomatic Medicine

• Traditional medicine incorporated more doctor-patient-centred “art of healing”

• The advent of drugs and technical medicine created a gap between doctor and patients

• In medical training (medical school, postgraduate), psycho-social aspects were neglected against “hard natural science” — being the only real science

• Several countries (Germany, Austria, Hungary, Latvia) already have fixed diplomas (even subspecialties like Germany); while others need support.

The necessity of bio-psycho-social (psychosomatic) training has been acknowledged in different European countries since several years in order to improve a holistic health care and to foster the treatment of psychosomatic disorders.
Synonyms are bio-psycho-social, bio-behavioural, psychosomatic, psycho-oncology, psycho-cardiology et al., all indicating the bidirectional body-mind interaction and the importance of the doctor-patient-relationship

In a first meeting in 2004 a working group of several European countries started a

European Network of Psychosomatic Medicine [http://www.enpm.eu/]

One first decision in order to promote Psychosomatic Medicine within EU health care has been, among others, to achieve an European core curriculum in bio-psycho-social medicine (Psychosomatic Medicine) for a diploma accessible to all doctors (not only psychiatrists).
In July 2005 a task force was established with the goal of achieving such curriculum -- knowledge, skills and attitude -- in postgraduate psychosomatic (bio-psycho-social) training; as well as to sketch the general guidelines to credit a Psychosomatic Service on idoneousness and suitability for training.

Further meetings should lead to the passing of a common resolution and European curriculum to be implemented in European medical training and health care.