Thought-Leaders to Lend Expertise, Insight to Healthcare Professionals During Conference.
CHICAGO (19 June 2013) – The Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (SIDM), the foremost healthcare organization dedicated to reducing medical diagnostic error, has announced three keynote speakers for the Diagnostic Error in Medicine 6th International Conference. Planned for September 22-25, 2013 at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, the Conference will welcome medical practitioners from across the healthcare spectrum including patients for a collaborative, insightful examination of diagnostic errors.
Opening keynote speaker Christine K. Cassel, MD, President and CEO of the National Quality Forum, is a leading expert in geriatric medicine, medical ethics and quality of care. Keynote speaker Brent James, MD, MStat, Chief Quality Officer and Executive Director, Institute for Health Care Delivery Research at Intermountain Healthcare, is known for his efforts to improve clinical quality and patient safety. Closing keynote presenter Robert M. Wachter, MD, Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, is generally considered the “father” of the hospitalist field, the fastest growing specialty in the history of modern medicine.
“The best and safest medical care depends on having the right diagnosis, and yet this aspect of patient care is the most neglected in the information available to patients about physicians, nurses and hospitals quality of care. Making the correct diagnosis is not always an exact science, and often involves trial and error. Getting it right requires good decision support information, good communications with the patient, and careful attention to details of the patient story as well as appropriate tests — requiring the most important and most precious resource doctors have, which is time with the patient,” said Christine K. Cassel, MD.
Dr. Cassel brings a breadth of experience and expertise to Diagnostic Error in Medicine 6th International Conference, specifically her efforts to inspire quality care and improve geriatric medicine. She has strategically focused on using technology and innovation to improve patient safety.
“Clinical practice is inherently an information science. Perhaps the biggest ‘medical breakthrough’ in recent history has been the continuing emergence of medical information systems. It is a rising tide that lifts a fleet of better practices. The flagship among them, though, is diagnosis. Better, more complete, accessible information can turn well-established theory into practice, improving an initial diagnosis process that currently ‘gets it right’ about 80 percent of the time, to one that routinely ‘gets it right’ the first time,” keynote speaker Brent James, MD, MStat explained.
Dr. James is known internationally for getting it right the first time. He will be speaking about meeting the measurement challenge of diagnostic error at the Diagnostic Error in Medicine Conference; Dr. James has focused his work on various development initiatives that affect patient safety.
Keynote speaker Robert M. Watcher, MD noted: "Until recently, diagnostic errors were the forgotten segment of the patient safety movement — despite the fact that they harm and kill more people than virtually any other error type. Luckily, they are now beginning to receive the attention they deserve, not only in this flagship conference but in medical training programs around the country.”
Dr. Watcher is a known expert in medical error and patient safety. His work with the Society of Hospital Medicine has helped influence the hospitalist movement alongside other internists and physicians concerned with the care of intensely ill hospital patients.
Paul Epner, MBA, MEd., Diagnostic Error in Medicine Conference Chair states: “We are thrilled to have such esteemed and internationally recognized health care leaders join us for this year’s Conference. Each one of them have made significant contributions to the safety and efficiency of medical practice and has championed the need for quality improvement in diagnosis.”
The Conference will feature an additional 15 faculty coming together to share research methods and results as well as quality improvement strategies relevant to clinical reasoning, diagnostic error and misdiagnosis-related harm. The call for abstract submissions is currently underway, with a submission deadline of July 1, 2013. To learn more about the Conference, submit abstracts or register, visit www.DEM2013.org.
About the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine
The Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (SIDM) is the foremost healthcare organization dedicated to honoring all those who have been harmed by diagnostic error. Established in 2012, the Society sought to unite everyone and every organization that wishes to focus on improving the diagnostic process. Healthcare professionals across all disciplines and patients with an interest in preventing diagnostic error are encouraged to become part of SIDM. For more information about SIDM, visit https://www.improvediagnosis.org/. To join the conversation about diagnostic error, be part of the listserv at list.improvediagnosis.org.
About the Diagnostic Error in Medicine International Conference
Since its inception in 2007, the Diagnostic Error in Medicine International Conference has become the premier educational event dedicated to the problem of diagnostic error. Diagnostic errors (missed, delayed, incorrect diagnoses) account for significant harm but are underemphasized and understudied. The ultimate goal of improving patient safety is addressed with a scientific and practical understanding of diagnostic error and the development of solutions. The vision of the Conference is to build a community of constituents collaborating together for improved patient safety. For more information about the Diagnostic Error in Medicine 6th International Conference, visit https://www.dem2013.org/.
