The importance of being well-prepared should never be underestimated.

Or as Churchill said, "Never let a good crisis go to waste." There are always lessons to be learned, from both our own and others’ experiences, and these are exactly what we share at conferences like NKMK.

This year, the Center for Disaster Medicine (CKM) hosted the conference at Wallenberg Conference Center in Gothenburg. Nearly 200 participants from across the country attended, representing a wide range of Sweden's emergency preparedness sectors. The program featured around 35 speakers and several dynamic keynote speakers.

"I think it was a very successful conference, and what elevated the meeting was the clear structure, with opening speeches by Per Bolinder, Petter Iversen, and Derrick Tin setting the tone. This was followed by a cohesive scientific program with well-chosen themes over both days," said Peter Naredi, professor and chairman of CKM's steering committee.

1. Per Bolinder, Senior Advisor, Ministry of Defense - Civil Defense and NATO in Sweden, along with experiences from Ukraine
2. Petter Iversen, Brigadier General, Norwegian Armed Forces. Chairman, Military Medicine NATO (COMEDS) - Medical Support in Collective Defense and Patient Flow Management
3. Derrick Tin, Senior Researcher, Harvard Medical School, USA - From Chaos to Calm – an exploration of disaster and counterterrorism medicine

Eight current thematic areas framed the conference’s overarching theme
Yohan Robinson introduced the scientific section on Day 1 by discussing disaster medicine as a scientific field and highlighting several factors that he believes the field already encompasses.

"A subject becomes scientific when it is based on observation, experiments, and measurable data. Scientific methods are used to test hypotheses and draw conclusions. The subject develops and establishes research methods recognized by the scientific community, which may include experimental techniques, statistical analyses, or specific protocols for data collection. When the subject contributes theoretical insights and practical applications that can impact other fields or solve real-world problems," explained Yohan Robinson, director of CKM.(see his ppp below)

The scientific program continued with Carl-Oscar Jonson from the Center for Disaster Medicine in Linköping, who discussed their assignment from the National Board of Health and Welfare to create a foundation and organize workshops with subject experts, among other initiatives, to develop a national mass casualty triage system. (These presentations is available in the video list.)

Following this, 16 abstracts submitted for oral presentation were shared. The speakers represented various knowledge centers across Sweden, and the program was divided into five themes: CBRN Medicine, Prehospital Care, Ethical Conflicts, Safety and Human Rights, Disaster Medicine in Conflicts, and Terrorism and Active Lethal Violence. (Note: An abstract book in PDF format is available at the end of the page.)

On Day 2, the focus shifted to three other themes: Managing a Major Terrorist Event – Various Perspectives, Medical Planning for War in the Nordics, and Competency in Total Defense Medicine. To bring the audience's thoughts to the future, CKM, in collaboration with Media Technology at the University of Gothenburg, created two "News broadcasts." The first news discussed a terrorist attack on the Gothenburg Half Marathon and its impact on local healthcare, while the second covered how the national healthcare system would be affected if we needed to assist our Nordic neighbors during an ongoing war.

“We are pleased that our invited speakers on Friday, Maria Carlund from the National Board of Health and Welfare, Björn Järbur from NU Healthcare in VGR, Clas Ivgren from the Armed Forces, Andreas Wladis from LU, and Ann-Marie Wennberg Larkö from the National Council for Healthcare Competence, brought our themes to life and sparked meaningful panel and audience discussions. Perhaps new collaborations were even initiated,” said Joakim Björås, SU’s head of education and CKM board member. (Take part in the presentations via the film list below, see day two and Theme 1-3)

Lessons from Ukraine
During Friday afternoon’s session, Jonas Zimmerman, a physician and doctoral candidate and member of CKM’s network, introduced us to two passionate individuals he met during his trips to Ukraine. First was Dmytro Ershov, a trauma surgeon who joined via video link from Dnipro (Ukraine), sharing insights on daily life in Ukraine, both in healthcare and daily life. Then Kateryna Serdiuk, founder of Repower, told us about their work supporting military healthcare personnel with various approaches to prevent complex psychological conditions, restore willpower, and regain motivation to return to service www.repower.ngo. Two powerful presentations. (Take part in the presentation via the film list below, see day two and Theme 3)

Well-attended Poster Exhibition and Three Awards
There was also a poster exhibition where additional abstracts (35 in total) and their authors could showcase their research to an interested audience during breaks and mingling with refreshments on Thursday evening. Later, during Thursday’s dinner, three abstract awards were presented, accompanied by entertainment from the Dino Big Band, featuring 11 talented students from the University of Gothenburg’s School of Design and Crafts HDK.

• Best Poster Presentation: Ulf Andersson, Kristina Lundberg, Henrik Andersson, and Anders Sterner, "Are You Ready: Prevalence of Disaster Preparedness and Civil Defense Education Among Nursing Programs in Sweden" (Authors from the University of Borås, except Lundberg from the Church of Sweden)
• Best Oral Presentation: Jens Wretborn, "The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the National Telehealth Service for Triage and Referral in Sweden" (Linköping University Hospital)
• Honorary Award: Gunnar Westberg, "A Nuclear Detonation over Stockholm: Consequences for Healthcare" (Swedish Physicians Against Nuclear Weapons)

Finally, a Word of Thanks to Our Moderator
Lina Thors (FOI), Mats Isaksson (GU), Lina Gyllencreutz (UmU), Cave Sinai (GU), Filip Arnberg (UU), Mattias Günther (KI), Andreas Wladis (LiU), Amir Khorram-Manesh (GU), Erik Carlström (GU), Jonas Zimmerman (SU) samt Joakim Björås (SU) och Hanna Maurin Söderholm (HB).

"You all did an excellent job introducing the speakers, contributing your own experiences and insights, and fostering a valuable dialogue between them and the audience. Thank you on behalf of the program team"

NKMK 2026 - will be in UMEÅ

The next NKMK will be in 2026 in Umeå and will then be hosted by the Knowledge Center for Disaster Medicine at Umeå University. What happens in 2025, however, we will simply have to wait and see.e.

Text: Susanne Lj Westergren