This year, the global EADV (European Academy of Dermatology & Venereology) conference was held in Amsterdam from October 25 to 28, 2024. The congress consisted of 180 sessions, more than 650 speakers, and over 17,000 participants from around the world.
The CMTC-OVM delegation consisted of two people: Laurens Rorive and Lex van der Heijden.
We have been participating in the EADV conference for several years (previous EADV conferences) and have noticed that the attention given to Patient Organizations (POs) has not yet fully reached many doctors. In 2022, our stands were literally located in the basement, and in 2023, we were placed in a corner.
We discussed this issue with a number of POs, and Lex prepared a document outlining our wishes. This document was signed by approximately 15 POs, and it was time to see what had been implemented.
We are part of the EADV Task Force for Patient Advocacy and discussed the current situation versus what we would like on October 27. The following had been achieved:
- Improved location: We were much more visible, and the foot traffic in our area was better than in previous years.
- Space with chairs and tables: Unfortunately, this area was mostly used by people unrelated to our organizations.
- Water station: Conveniently located nearby.
- Column displaying all participating POs with their logos.
- POs featured in the conference app.
- POs were also visible on the TV screens throughout the building.
Areas for further improvement:
- Highlighting the value of POs for healthcare professionals: This is our responsibility. We have created an article on our website about this topic.
- Active involvement of POs in shaping the conference program.
- Active participation of POs in sessions, such as presenting.
- Limited stand time: There were a total of 6 stands available for around 30 POs, meaning each of us only had 6 hours at the stand over 4 days. We find this rather insufficient.
- Restriction on bringing banners or printed materials: Although we did bring some, the rule was part of efforts to reduce the conference’s carbon footprint. However, considering the travel of around 17,000 people, the “footprint” of our materials seems relatively small. This restriction should be lifted.
- Insufficient space at the stands to display materials, which ties into point 5.
- A permanent area for POs without a stand at that time would be beneficial. This would also help because time slots for sessions could conflict with when a PO has a stand.
Regarding the number of interesting sessions this year it was fairly limited. A few sessions were directly related to vascular malformations, and the speakers were people we know very well.
The Canadian Global Skin organization, of which we’ve been a member for years, organized a few sessions, including one about the PRIDD project and another where both researchers and patients spoke.
GlobalSkin at the EADV Congress 2024
As a PO, we did not have access to the “industry” hall due to legal restrictions. However, companies did visit our stand.
Finally, we noticed that POs are beginning to recognize one another more, which is fostering increased collaboration between POs.
