H. Stähelin (Switzerland)

The EUGMS unites the national societies of geriatric medicine within the European Union. One of the essential aims of the EUGMS is to strengthen the links between geriatricians in the different European states and to advance the study and practice of medicine of old age. The dramatic increase in the numbers of old and very old people in Europe clearly indicates the necessity to understand and meet the needs of the old and frail older population.

A characteristic of our age is global access to knowledge. Progress in natural sciences, especially biomedicine and information technologies, has made a profound transformation of way in which we perceive medicine today. Its concepts and results are available globally. However, application and implementation of medical knowledge requires appropriate social and economic structures which differ widely even among industrialized nations. Furthermore, despite impressive progress, old age remains overshadowed by frailty, dependency and loss of autonomy as result of chronic illness. Coping with these problems not only requires core medical knowledge but also an understanding of the social and cultural conditions and possibilities. Thus, geriatricians face the task of how to adapt and implement medical progress in their local socio-economic situation. To learn from the experience of colleagues in other socio-cultural settings creates the opportunity to develop new and original solutions.

The European Union, with its rich cultural and social heritage, offers the science and discipline of geriatric medicine a unique opportunity. It allows a comparison between different approaches and potential solutions to complex health problems, which face the older population. The sheer number of old people will necessitate having a group of professionals with unique abilities and expertise that are able to guide and advise general practitioners who already have the medical responsibilities for most of the older population. A prominent problem in geriatric medicine is medical co-morbidity, often associated with cognitive decline, and related issues such as malnutrition, frailty, disability, involve complex diagnostic and therapeutic decisions. Thus by providing a platform for geriatricians of the EUGMS to present and publish their clinical research, consensus papers that outline good clinical practice, and to stimulate research in interdisciplinary fields of geriatric medicine in the section of geriatrics of the JNHA, the EUGMS will strengthen the coherence of geriatric medicine throughout Europe. The journal will also provide space for documents written or endorsed by the EUGMS and information about the activities and meetings of this Society. The mission of the Journal is to enhance the development of excellence in geriatric medicine and education of the medical and paramedical community.

In this sense we, the editors of the EUGMS-geriatric medicine section of the JNHA, invite geriatricians and other physicians and scientists to submit their clinical and epidemiological research to the Journal with particular emphasis on studies that highlight the importance of social and economic structures in geriatric care and of different approaches to core problems in different European countries. We extend this invitation to organisations, institutions and associations who produce clinical guidelines for the management of health problems of older people in the hope that they also submit their work to the Journal. A rapid review process will assure prompt evaluation of the submitted original work.

We trust that this Section, as an organ of the EUGMS, will prove to be an effective tool to strengthen the links among geriatricians in Europe and to disseminate good geriatric clinical practice. And by this we all will contribute to better patient care in the older population.