ABSTRACT
Despite the COVID pandemic continuing to afflict the planet, and the concerns over a war in Europe, JEMTAC has many reasons to be optimistic as it publishes its second issue of 2022. The first issue of 2022 was led by Prof. Guillaume and contained over 70 s from the Qatar Health 2022. Furthermore, JEMTAC is experiencing a growth in the number and quality of the submissions, leading to the implementation of an additional issue per year. Our sincere gratitude to the many authors and reviewers for supporting JEMTAC.
ABSTRACT
Welcome to this special issue of JEMTAC dedicated to the selection of 74 s submitted to the Qatar Health 2022 online conference. The years are passing and the COVID-19 pandemic situation has not changed much globally. Although new vaccines have been developed and several restrictive measures have been rolled out in most countries to protect people, thousands are still succumbing to the effects of COVID-191,2. Similar to the Qatar Health 2021 conference3, among the submissions, there is still much emphasis on how healthcare systems and services are dealing with the situation to mitigate the spread of the disease among patients and healthcare professionals, while still trying to deliver physical or mental care to those in need4-6. It is also important to point out that the same needs and concerns apply to both the general public as well as the healthcare workforce7,8. From a preparedness point of view, continuing professional development and testing of new processes and facilities are key to ensuring clinicians are ready to take on new roles in new environments, and that technology can play a significant role in a pandemic context9-11. This is not only true in relation to clinical facilities, but as Qatar prepares to host the 2022 World Cup, it is also highly relevant to sporting events, during which multiple agencies need to work together collaboratively and as a multidisciplinary team as per the theme of Qatar Health 2022 and the 2nd Qatar Public Health Conference12-13. The online conference has again been organized into four parallel tracks. It is dedicated to showcasing the work and opinions of leaders in their respective domains as well as the 112 s that have been accepted for oral or poster presentation. The themes are summarized in Table 1, and most of the corresponding s are published in this special issue of JEMTAC. Submissions related to mass gatherings and sporting events were shy again this year, but it is expected to be a highly prominent topic for the next edition of the conference, after the 2022 World Cup. We hope you enjoy this early content preview of the conference and that it will make it even more engaging for everyone at the time of the question and answer sessions and on the poster boards. See you all online on the 10th-12th of February 2022!.
ABSTRACT
It feels like yesterday that we wrote the editorial related to the previous issue of the Qatar Health 2020 Conference!1. 2020 is clearly a year to remember globally as a challenging one and this probably contributed to time passing so rapidly, keeping everyone so busy caring for patients and conducting research2. COVID-19 has had a big impact on all aspects of our lives, from the way we deliver patient care and work, to how we socialize and plan for the future in general. The past year has certainly provided an opportunity for the State of Qatar to demonstrate its resilience, its ability to rapidly adapt to new circumstances, and to find effective solutions to new problems3,4. Although very concerned by the current pandemic, our focus needs to also concentrate on the forthcoming FIFA World Cup in 2022 and every possible health related aspects, to ensure the event is safely hosted for everyone’s enjoyment. This has been clearly reflected in the Qatar Health 2021 conference program and call for abstracts (Table 1) which was organized into four parallel tracks fully hosted online for everyone’s safety. This issue of the Journal of Emergency Medicine, Trauma and Acute Care contains an extensive selection of 38 out of the 94 abstracts that have been accepted for oral or poster presentation during the conference. The abstract themes are summarized in Table 2 and range from the impact of the pandemic on delivering primary care to Qatar’s preparedness to dealing with hazardous and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents5,6. Notably 48 (51.06%) of the abstract titles contained the word COVID-19 or pandemic while only 4 abstracts (4.25%) were related to mass gatherings and sporting events. The later topics were primarily covered by multiple invited speakers with the relevant experience and proved to be the most attended conference sessions. It is worth noticing that the event attracted just over of 5,400 delegates and speakers from a total of 40 countries and has received highly positive feedback. We look forward to welcoming everyone again next year as we come closer to the FIFA World Cup 2022, with many more topics, partner organizations, and attendees.