This event is the follow-up to the first patient summit that took place two years ago in Madrid.

During that event, doctors and patients were brought together to discuss the typical challenges doctors and patients face when it comes to caring for patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV).

One of the outcomes in Madrid was that while we keep talking about doctors and patients, there is obviously an important layer in between that we don’t pay enough attention to, which is nurses.

So the theme chosen for this second Summit was to actively work on this and have an intensive exchange of ideas. Therefore, we invited not only doctors and patients but also, of course, nurses who are regularly involved in the care of vasculitis patients.

Many of our members answered the call and for two days we brainstormed intensively about how to involve nurses more and better in the care of vasculitis patients.

While there are very large differences between the various countries and even between regions within the countries, all participants agreed that we need to involve nurses more often and more extensively and that we need to make serious efforts to make that happen.

In spite of all the regional differences, it also became very clear that there is no difference at all among the participants in the willingness to commit to improving care for vasculitis patients and to help and support each other. And there was no difference at all between doctors, nurses and patient representatives in this regard. They formed one big motivated and sociable group during this Summit.

It was great to experience that and in today’s so polarized world it is a great thing that we should cherish.