The theme for the conference is ‘communicating for safer diagnosis’ and as the name suggests, language and communication are going to be the focus along with better health outcomes.

Making a diagnostic error can have devastating consequences, therefore this conference will aim to improve safety through more effective communication. Communication between pathology laboratories and clinicians about choice of tests, results and interpretation is vital to accurate diagnosis.

Some of the questions the conference will pose include:

• How can we communicate for safer diagnosis?
• How can health IT better support the diagnostic process?
• How can clinicians better communicate with each other across the silos in healthcare?
• How can patients better engage in the diagnostic process?
• Together, how can we make the diagnostic process safer and more reliable for patients?

Supported by organisations including the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, Macquarie University, Monash University and the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Quality Assurance Programs, the AusDEM 2019 conference will bring together thought leaders in the growing field of diagnostic safety.

Some of the keynote speakers include: Prof Jeffrey Braithwaite, Founding Director of the Australian Institute of Health Innovation; Prof Andrea Rita Horvarth, Clinical Director, Department of Clinical Chemistry and Endocrinology NSW Health Pathology Randwick; and A/Prof Lisa Sanders, Yale School of Medicine and contributor to New York Times Magazine.

Also, Professors Andrew Georgiou and Michael Legg will be running a pathology focussed interactive symposium on improving diagnostic information flow together Paul Epner, co-founder of the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (SIDM).

The event is open to clinicians with an interest in diagnosis, including pathologists and radiologists, medical educators, researchers, nurses, patients, quality managers, medical administrators and medical students.

For more information contact the Conference Secretariat on +61 2 8204 0770 or email ausdem2019@ashm.org.au.

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