The first meeting of the European Club on Paediatric Intensive Care (ECPIC) was held in Barcelona 1980 during the XVI International Congress of Paediatrics.
During this congress a small group of paediatric intensivists from Belgium, France, West Germany (at that time), Italy, The Netherlands and Spain decided to organize regular yearly meetings. In their opinion the aim of the Club would be to promote meetings between intensivists mainly involved in the care of infants and children. Indeed, at that time, numerous meetings brought together either neonatologists or adult intensivists but few opportunities were offered to paediatric intensivists to meet.

This initiative can be considered as the beginning of ESPIC – the first European Society of Paediatric Intensive Care. In the following years much work was invested to make sure that the working group developed into a society with a defined structure and statutes.

In Paris, in September 1987, for the first time 150 PICU Nurses met for a symposium. A precedent was set for further initiative and the ‘ESPIC Nursing working group’ was founded. Initially the nurses were associated, individual members of the European Society of Paediatric Intensive Care (ESPIC).

In 1994 the statutes of ESPIC were modified and the society was divided into a medical and nursing branch. To support a continuous progress at all parts of paediatric and neonatal intensive care in Europe, ESPIC Medical and ESPIC Nursing are working closely together under the roof of ESPIC.

In 1998 the Society’s name was changed into ESPNIC (European Society of Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care) in acknowledgement of neonatal intensive care nurses’ and physicians’ involvement in the organisation since the beginning and with the aim of promoting an important speciality of intensive care.

In 2003 ESPNIC is a society of around 800 members working in the field of paediatric or neonatal intensive care. ESPNIC members are from 30 European countries and 16 countries outside of Europe.
 
ESPNIC - the only existing organisation for paediatric and neonatal intensive care health care workers that covers whole Europe.

ESPNIC – Caring without borders

More about history of paediatric intensive care in Europe:

  ESPIC/ESPNIC History Timetable

  F Beaufils: European Club on Pediatric Intensive Care (ECPIC)

  D Devictor: History of paediatric intensive care in Europe

  BK Jüngst: 35 Years of paediatric intensive care in Germany

      History of PIC (Photogallery):

  Please visit our Photogallery  "History of Paediatric Intensive Care"

Last update: 8 November 2006/Harth