Introduction

This chapter sets out the rationale for writing a book on how to pass the European Diploma in Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (EDAIC), a brief history of the formation of the exam, and what the reader can expect from the rest of the book. The EDAIC has a long history that goes as far back as the days of the European Academy of Anaesthesiology (EAA), an organization that was established on 5 September 1978 and held its first General Assembly in Paris after two years of preparatory work. This preparatory work began in 1976 after a group of anaesthesiologists met during the World Congress in Mexico City to discuss the consequences of the Medical Directives of the European Economic Community (EEC) that were adopted by the Council of Ministers in June 1975.