Our Objectives

The purpose of the Federation is scientific. It's objective is to promote internal medicine not only on a scientific plane, but also at an ethical and professional level. To this end the Federation will:

• Publish the outcome of its research and resolutions.
• Seek to bring together European specialists in internal medicine.
• Establish communication between these specialists.
• Organise meetings and European congresses.
• Establish links with young internists (through Educational Seminars and via the EFIM website where a Young Internist link is being developed)
• Provide information to private or public organisations about internal medicine.

EFIM Inaugural address

The specialty of Internal Medicine is one of the specialties recognised by the Permanent Committee of Medicine of the European Union in Brussels.

By definition, it is an all-embracing discipline, concerning itself with all aspects of pathology and all the organ-based specialties, and is recognised in every country in the Union. However the role of the Internist, whether in hospital or community based practice, is not the same in all European countries; the daily work of Internists and their training is strongly linked to the organisation of national health services and the Universities which vary from one country to another.

Because of concerns to harmonise the training of Internists in Europe, the monospecialty section of Internal Medicine was formed within UEMS. In parallel, the different National Societies of Internal Medicine have now undertaken to found the European Federation of Internal Medicine, (EFIM) which attempts to bring together the scientific activities of these societies.

This Federation will be a dynamic assocation which aims to share information on the problems facing internists in their daily medical practice; to form a coherent European scientific organisation to stimulate research in Internal Medicine; and to be a valuable arbiter among the various national health and education services.

One of the essential concerns of this Federation will be to establish the educational framework for the Continuing Medical Education of European internists, both through Congresses and by the publication of the scientific journal the European Journal of Internal Medicine where articles of high scientific quality are reviewed by national experts.

Every two years, the Federation holds a European medical Congress in a European capital or a large city in association with the National Society of the country concerned. Important medical topics will be discussed there by the best European specialists in their field.

The Federation should establish and promote exchanges between young internists form different countries, in collaboration with the larger Universities.

The Federation will thus continue the activities of the earlier European Association of Internal Medicine, founded at the end of 1969.

The Federation will try to unite the increasingly narrow European sub-specialties which together comprise the medical approach to the whole patient; and to re-affirm the profound medical ethic which runs through the training of internists to permit them to be better and better prepared to practice their specialty.