Minute of the EFSM Council Meeting and General Delegates Assembly, April 26, 2017 - 18:00-21:00, Grand Hotel Italia, Cluj - Napoca, Romania

5. Committees’ activity:

• Georgescu said the committees should become more active in developing some programs. Until now it was not enough feedback and will be necessary to start their activities and to be in contact with each other and with all societies.
• Ozalp, the Turkish representative asked what should the Committees’ Chairman do. Georgescu responded that each should create their committees and start working in order to promote their specific scientific tasks. Battistonsaid that the chairman is responsible to contact other countries and delegates. He considers that for the Research committee could be good to have members from all countries, but for Clinical Committee should probably be fewer persons.
• Regarding the Clinical Committee, Battiston - the Chairman of the Committee - proposed that Lucian Jiga should take his place as Chairman of the Clinical Committee, proposal that was submitted to vote and agreed unanimously. He also stated that it is very difficult to keep track of different centers members, since they are constantly moving, so it would be beneficial to have persons’ data, not only the centers one. So, he requests that all delegates send data about their members and also he proposes that the delegates send electronic surveys to various centers. Also, he exemplified by the Modena Consensus on replantation based on the Delphi method and proposed that these information should be placed on the EFSM site. Also, he proposes that on the EFSM site should be placed links for clinical trials with the goal to standardize the European reconstructive treatment. Another proposal was to organize round tables in the EFSM meetings for the same purpose. All these proposals were unanimously approved.
• Regarding the Education and Training Committee, Muset – member of the Committee - said that there are some problems in communication, which he will try to solve in the upcoming year. He requested that the recipients of the last year awards for the best presentgations done by residents in the Antalya Congress name the master’s modules they want to participate into. Georgescu said that the recipient of the first award was already participating in the UK Master.
• Regarding the Research Committee, Geuna – Chairman of the Committee - said that the recruitment of people in committees should start and asked for the future to be able to communicate directly with the members; also requested that each society should propose 1 member. He said that there was a research proposal for an Action grant of the EU 2 years before, but it was suggested to focus on the advancement of research. Also, he said that if the grant will be accepted, there would be funds for research. He proposes to have a mapping of centers in Europe, which have teaching, lab and research capabilities, and to label them accordingly.Georgescu said that it would be great to have also a clearer definition of levels of capabilities for each center in every country, from basic, advanced, and their capabilities. Muset said that the idea is very good, but it’s very difficult to create this type of database, because of the poor communication between various clinical and teaching branches, even in the same hospital, not to mention various centers in the same country.Geuna proposed that the ones who do not respond should be removed from the database. Georgescu propose to do the same type of accreditation procedure as for the FESSH for all centers.
  Bumbasirevic proposed the development of a collaboration with Italy regarding the Bionic replacement of limbs.
  Muset said that it requires a large number of people and constant meetings, and Geuna said that the congress will be the perfect moment and venue, but Muset said that it would be better to have round tables not only in the congress.
  Georgescu recommended that Geuna works on this aspect and the decision should be taken next year, because we have to be able to tell young surgeons where to go if they want to improve their skills and techniques.
  Beris said that in Greece everybody knows which are the accredited centers. He proposed that the delegates give the information about the centers and propose 1-3 persons to be included in the research, training, education… committees. It would be difficult to decide which is the best.
  Georgescu said that each committee should define the accreditation rules, should create the accreditation commission to visit the centers and everybody agreed.
  Geuna requested that in the congress in Serbia should be half a day dedicated to research /microsurgery or 1-2 sessions in the middle of the congress, proposal which was supported by Bumbasirevic, who asked for proposals.

III. UK representative, Gurjinderpal Singh Pahal, presented a description of their clinical, teaching and experimental microsurgical activity and said that Venkat Ramakrishnanwas able, following the initiative of Georgescu, to create a microsurgery group in UK, wishing to reapply as member of the Federation. So, the new constituted Group asked one year before to reapply, and after Georgescu circulated this to all the EFSM Council Members, it was approved. So, the UK Group will remain one more year as Associate Member, and will become Full Member in Belgrade. The proposal was voted again and agreed unanimously that in Belgrade UK will become again a full member.

IV. Bumbasirevic presented informations about the Belgrade upcoming EFSM congress. The congress’s date was changed to 5.05.2018 - 8.05.2018, to take into consideration the APFSRM congress 2018 in Antalya, to accommodate and encourage a larger number of participants to come in both events.

The fees will be the same as in Antalya and there will be, for the first time, an active involvement and participation of microsurgery nurses and therapists in the event.

Also, for the first time there will be organized a “Basic microsurgery course” during the congress.

Following the suggestion of Georgescu, for the first time too will be published an Instructional Course Book wit the title Contemporary Microsurgery Manual, which hopefully will be upgraded every year afterwards. The Book will have Soucacos, Georgescu, Bumbasirevic, Matei as Editors. At least 2-3 members from each Society belonging to EFSM, but also some well-known specialist from abroad will be asked to contribute.

Bumbasirevic asked each country to contribute with 1 paper also in publishing a special volume in Injury and said that another novel session will be introduced in the congress’s program, “Legends of Microsurgery”. Another proposed novelty is a session about “How to write a scientific paper”, with Elsevier or Springer assistance.

V. Georgescu said that it is very difficult to gather data from societies, since the ExCo members find it challenging to reach a common ground regarding which personal data should be placed on EFSM site. Probably, the most reasonable way to be in touch will remain that the ExCo decisions be communicated to the delegates. The task of the delegates will be to send to all their members all these informations and to ask them a feed-back and especially their suggestions.

VI. Georgescu congratulated Muset for the upcoming position as EFSM Secretary General next year.

VII. Georgescu announced that the next Council meeting will take place during the EFSM Congress in Serbia, in Belgrade, May, 5-8, 2017. The proposal was voted and agreed unanimously.

The meeting was adjourned at 21.00 hours.