Safe Space for Emergency Medicine Teams

Emergency Medicine (EM) provides urgent, life-saving care for illnesses and injuries, yet it is not recognised as a distinct specialty in all countries, which can cause confusion for patients and healthcare professionals alike.

Delivering effective care in high-pressure and often unpredictable situations requires specialised training and support. The EM Day 2026 campaign highlights the daily risks and challenges faced by EM professionals, the impact of violence and unsafe conditions on patient outcomes, and the urgent need for proper resources, safe working environments, and continuous professional development to ensure the highest standards of care.

This campaign will address the following key points:

1. End Violence Against EM Teams
   Every Emergency Medicine professional has the right to work safely and without fear, whether in hospitals, pre-hospital care, or crisis zones. Violence is unacceptable, preventable, and must be addressed.
2. Protect Those Who Save Lives
   Ensuring the safety of EM teams directly improves patient care, reduces burnout, and strengthens emergency healthcare systems.
3. Raise Awareness Among the Public
   “Hospitals are not battlefields.” Respect, patience, and support from patients and communities are essential to safe emergency care.
4. Empower Healthcare Professionals
   EM workers must feel supported to report violence, advocate for safe workplaces, and access mental health and peer support resources.
5. .Mobilise Policymakers
   Governments must enforce stronger laws, provide funding for security and mental health, uphold international humanitarian law, and recognise that protecting EM teams saves lives.
6. Promote Safe Emergency Systems
   Implement coordinated networks, trained staff, secure facilities, and policies to ensure major emergencies, such as trauma, heart attack, stroke, and sepsis, are managed safely and effectively.
7. Foster Global Solidarity
   From local Emergency Departments to war zones, EM Day 2026 calls on the public, professionals, and policymakers to stand together for safe care, zero tolerance for violence, and stronger, resilient emergency medicine worldwide.

The EM Day 2026 campaign is dedicated to creating safe spaces for Emergency Medicine professionals and ensuring that those who save lives can work without fear, violence, or undue stress. By highlighting the risks and challenges they face every day, the campaign calls for recognition, protection, and stronger support for EM teams, reinforcing the critical role they play in delivering emergency care.

Building on the EM Day 2025 campaign on professional satisfaction and safe working conditions, and the 2024 campaign on the pressures of climate-related emergencies and crisis situations, EM Day 2026 recognises that these factors have increasingly exposed EM professionals to unsafe and high-risk environments. Protecting their wellbeing and safety is not only vital for their own health but also for the quality and reliability of emergency care for patients everywhere.

The campaign emphasises strategies to safeguard EM staff, including adequate staffing, security measures, mental health and peer support, efficient workflows, and supportive workplace policies. It is a shared responsibility of healthcare institutions, policymakers, and the public to create environments where EM teams can perform effectively, safely, and with dignity. By investing in the protection of EM professionals, we strengthen emergency care systems and ensure that those who save lives can continue to do so safely and sustainably.