Prof. Felix Walcher is the new DIVI President

Professor Felix Walcher is the new President of the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (DIVI). The director of the Clinic for Trauma Surgery at the University Hospital Magdeburg will lead the specialist society for the next two years. The 55-year-old emphasized in his inaugural speech that the DIVI concept was very clever. Uniting the five disciplines of intensive care and emergency medicine in one specialist society was ingeniously conceived by the founding fathers more than 40 years ago and is unique in Europe. “It’s not possible, it doesn’t exist! The critical discussions among each other and ultimately the necessary joint interdisciplinary decision-making are what make DIVI so effective,” said Walcher. Through the professional and personally appreciative dialogue, the understanding of individual concerns becomes much greater on an interdisciplinary and interprofessional basis. “It therefore fills me with joy, but also great respect and humility, to continue on the path we have chosen and to be able to lead DIVI as president for the next two years!”

Felix Walcher is a specialist in surgery, orthopedics and trauma surgery with a focus on trauma surgery and additional training in emergency medicine. He has been the clinic director in Magdeburg since 2014. He therefore pays particular attention to acute and emergency medicine - but primarily to the people who work there, as well as in the intensive care units and emergency rooms. “The main thing now is to keep the emergency nurses and intensive care nurses in the focus of our work,” signals Walcher. “We also absolutely have to strengthen all colleagues – doctors, nurses and therapists – who work in the critical areas after the very turbulent and extremely challenging time!”

It is important to build networks across Germany in order to establish support measures for employees. “Keyword resilience: So that we, who practice this beautiful profession, remain loyal to it and are happy to continue working with commitment in the future.” For this purpose, Walcher founded and set up the Perspective Resilience section within DIVI three years ago.

Comprehensive reforms in the structure of emergency care will shape the presidency

In the future, DIVI President Walcher will focus more on the emergency rooms and the rescue service in order to develop the structures here together with politicians and in dialogue with the other specialist societies and institutions that are involved in the field of rescue and emergency medicine. to finally restructure. As the founder of the AKTIN emergency room register, Walcher has the necessary overview. The IT architecture of the emergency room register could be the inspiration for the further development of the DIVI intensive care register, says Professor Walcher.

Following the example of his predecessor, Walcher will also be very active in promoting young talent: “I have worked intensively with young people over the last two decades and have promised the Junge DIVI that I will work very closely with them. You can be sure of my full support!”

The vision and mission of DIVI sets the agenda for 2023 and 2024 – and beyond

President Walcher will consciously continue the goals and ideals as well as strategies of his predecessors. To this end, the DIVI has already set an agenda up to 2030 by developing the “Mission and Vision” together with the Presidium, the sections and all members.

As a road map for 2023 and 2024, Walcher lists the following again:

• Further develop the DIVI intensive register
• Promote digitalization, and especially the interoperability of data
• Significantly expand telemedicine
• Drive forward implementation of the DIVI structural recommendations in 2022
• Establish quality assurance in all areas of intensive care and emergency medicine
• Push forward structural reform for interdisciplinary emergency centers and their shared emergency desks as well as intersectoral cooperation
• modify the current legal ethical framework