Commentary: What next? From the principles to the practice of social emergency medicine

This commentary expands the Fahimi and Goldfrank overview of the principles of social emergency medicine to speak to its institutionalization. This first requires understanding the mission of social emergency medicine. Next, there is a need for the principles of social medicine to become part of medical school required curricula, specialization and the creation of a rigorous field of practice and study, and the responsibility to advocate for our patients. Although we can gain strength and ideas from the many experts within our specialty, if we are to achieve our mission, we need to include all emergency physicians. Collectively, we need to articulate our message to the house of medicine and become part of the mainstream.

This article is part of a special supplement: Inventing Social Emergency Medicine: A Consensus Conference to Establish the Intellectual Underpinnings of Social Emergency Medicine.