The idea and concept of the Mediterranean Journal of Emergency Medicine (MJEM) were born in 2009 as one way to raise the interest of the health sector in emergency medicine to accompany the newly established emergency medicine (EM) specialty in Lebanon followed by the first emergency medicine conference back in 2005, thus becoming the scientific platform for disseminating international scientific findings, information and research about emergency medicine and for discussing issues that have policy implications in the region. Later in 2012, the first Emergency Medicine residency program was established at AUBMC and afterwards other universities followed suit.
The journal seeks the contribution of professional medical and health practitioners as well as health policy actors and decision makers so as to reflect the development of the emergency medicine field worldwide but more importantly in the region. It covers topics from prevention and care to the organization, governance, policy and politics of emergency medicine from the health practitioners in the field.
The journal also seeks to be a significant reference for medical students and registered nurses and a resource for healthcare professionals continuing education as it relies on practical EM in the field.
The journal accepts submitted articles in English and French, to ensure it caters to the diverse professional community. When it first started, the journal published articles at quarterly basis, it then shifted to bi-annual basis to later become a yearly basis publication. This shift was due to many factors, including the recent emerging pandemic, where it became more urgent and practical to completely shift to online presence while adopting the Open Journal Systems (OJS). At the time being, it is being published continuously online with articles featuring as "online first publications".
Although the journal is not for profit, however, it relies on some contributions mainly by the Lebanese Resuscitation Council without implying any conflict of interest.
The journal has identified regional and international partners such as the World Health Organization (WHO), and professional and scientific societies where it become their media partner; these societies include the European Society for Emergency Medicine (EuSEM), the French society of Emergency Medicine (SFMU), etc.