EWMA - What is EWMA?

The European Wound Management Association (EWMA) is a European not-for-profit umbrella organisation, linking national wound management organisations, individuals and groups with interest in wound care. Central to EWMA's objectives is to support implementation of interdisciplinary and cost effective wound care of high quality.

EWMA works to reach its objectives by being an educational resource, organising conferences, contributing to international projects related to wound management, actively supporting the implementation of existing knowledge within wound management and providing information on all aspects of wound management. EWMA was founded in 1991, and the association works to promote the advancement of education and research into native epidemiology, pathology, diagnosis, prevention and management of wounds of all aetiologies.

EWMA objectives and goals

EWMA works continuously to improve European wound patients' quality of life. We pursue identifying and advocating the highest quality of treatment available and its cost effectiveness from a multidisciplinary point of view. We work to reach our objectives by being an educational resource for health care professionals working with wound care and prevention. We organise conferences, contribute to international projects related to wound management, actively support the implementation of existing knowledge and provide information on all aspects of wound management.

Thus, EWMA strives to be the organisation that citizens, patients, professionals, Governments, Health Services and educational institutes come to for advice, expertise and opinion in Europe.

EWMA works to achieve the following goals:

• To be the overarching 'umbrella' organisation under which European wound healing associations collaborate.
• To support patients to play a key role in prevention and their own treatment as a central member of the multidisciplinary treatment team.
• To provide highly accessible educational resources for citizens, patients and professionals.
• To promote wounds as one of the major challenges for the quality of life of citizens as well as a major contributor to the economic burden of European health care systems.
• To actively promote to Governments and other decision makers that wounds are preventable by implementation of adequate prevention measures.
• To promote the delivery of cost-effective, evidence-based best practice wound prevention and wound treatment.
• To promote a multidisciplinary approach to the prevention and treatment of wounds.

EWMA works towards the fulfilment of these goals through:

• Publication of EWMA documents regarding epidemiology, pathology, diagnosis, prevention and management of wounds of all aetiologies and education into these topics.
• Hosting of multidisciplinary wound conferences and training courses in Europe.
• Creation of forums for networking and sharing of experiences for individuals and organisations actively involved in wound management.
• Advocacy activities targeting policy-makers and key-opinion leaders in national governments and the European Union.
• Providing guidance for practices.

The annual EWMA conference

Every year EWMA arranges a conference. The conference offers high level scienti?c presentations, networking activities and an excellent opportunity to exchange knowledge and experiences with international colleagues.

For more information about the conference, please visit: http://ewma.org/ewma-conference/ewma-conferences/.

The EWMA History

EWMA was established in 1991 as a not for profit charity organisation registered in the UK.

One of the founding principles was that EWMA would be inclusive across professions and countries, and so it has remained. Since the beginning, EWMA has welcomed nurses, doctors with various relevant specialities, as well as other professionals (e.g. micro-biologists and psychologists) into the EWMA Council. The international collaboration has also continued to develop.

Since its establishment EWMA has grown to become a real European umbrella organisations with close links to most of the national wound management associations in Europe as well as extended collaboration with sister societies or related organisations in other parts of the world.