Rural Medicine in Focus at the Annual Autumn Medical Conference

The conference was well attended, bringing together physicians, nurses, nursing assistants and other healthcare professionals, primarily from Akureyri Hospital and the Healthcare Institution of North Iceland (HSN), as well as participants from various other locations. The event provided a platform for sharing knowledge and discussing experiences of working in healthcare across North Iceland.

Conferences such as this give healthcare professionals valuable opportunities to learn from one another and strengthen connections across different workplaces. This is particularly beneficial when healthcare services are delivered in multiple locations and working conditions may vary considerably.

Representatives from HSN played an active role in the conference. Stefán Júlíus Aðalsteinsson, a resident physician in family medicine at HSN in Húsavík and Chair of the Akureyri Medical Society, served as moderator and was one of the conference organizers. Helga Þórsdóttir, a resident physician in family medicine at HSN in Sauðárkrókur, delivered a presentation on pediatric emergencies. Jón Pálmi Óskarsson, a family physician and emergency medicine physician at HSN in Dalvík and Akureyri, and Eysteinn Heiðar Kristjánsson, EMS Operations Manager at HSN in Húsavík, gave a presentation on being on call in rural communities, discussing both the challenges and successes of providing healthcare services in remote areas.