MEDICA Congress 2009: Interdisciplinary – Innovative – International

Statement by Prof. Dr. Werner Alfons Scherbaum President of the MEDICA German Association for Interdisciplinary Medicine on the MEDICA Congress 2009 in Düsseldorf (18 - 21 November) 01/09/2009

As the world’s largest medical trade fair accompanied by a congress, this year’s MEDICA once again offers a comprehensive overview of a wide variety of innovations in the world of medicine. This leading medical fair gives decision makers from around the world the opportunity to find out about the latest developments in their field, take the opportunity for intensive professional development, and to discuss their field of specialisation. Of about 136,000 visitors who attended last year, almost half came from abroad.

The in-depth congress that accompanies the trade fair is organised by MEDICA Deutsche Gesellschaft für Interdiziplinäre Medizin e. V (the German Society for Interdisciplinary Medicine), which has once again put together a programme that will appeal to a very broad target group. This year’s MEDICA Congress will reflect the international nature of the MEDICA trade fair. For the first time, the well established congress, which is held in German, will be accompanied by specialised training sessions held in English. There will be three half-day sessions, at which leading experts will present medical background information on some of the key innovations and developments presented at the trade fair. The five main topics to be covered range from imaging to heart surgery and palliative care.

The international part of the congress will focus on new applications in integrated diagnostics and therapy in oncology, which will be presented in the morning on Thursday 18 November. Well-known developers and users will take a detailed look at the innovations in the field from various angles and will highlight how imaging techniques have revolutionised tumour prevention, diagnosis and therapy.

Another topic featured will be the monitoring of patients in the operating theatre and in intensive care. This module will feature new methods that improve the workflow and minimise problems at interfaces, in particular at the interface between the doctor and technology. Another key topic that the international part of the congress will focus on will be the progress in diagnosis and therapy of breast cancer. This will give you the opportunity to find out about how molecular characterisation of tumour tissue influences therapeutic decisions and how many different surgical techniques are available to destroy tumours in a carefully targeted way, while preserving healthy tissue.

On the Friday morning heart surgery pioneers will present the trends for the future of their field, which has seen immense progress since the 1990s, for instance the introduction of minimally invasive surgery, improved heart-lung machines and new methods of heart valve reconstruction. This session will also feature the latest trends in the development and approval of cardiovascular support systems and artificial heart valves. We would also like to particularly recommend the international part of the congress on palliative care, which will also take place on the Friday morning. This session will deal with the question of which care concepts are called for in an aging society in order to treat the elderly with the dignity and care that they deserve in their sunset years.

Of course, in addition to the new international part of the congress, the MEDICA congress will once again feature a broad range of medical continuing professional education and training in German. A large number of courses, seminars and discussions will deal with current developments in general and clinical practice as well as presenting and evaluating new developments in the fields of medicine, medical technology, biotechnology and telemedicine. Renowned experts and lecturers in their respective fields will scrutinise the innovations and, with their wealth of clinical experience, support the participants of the sessions in evaluating what will be able to stand the test of time in everyday hospital use and is worth retaining and what is obsolete or needs to be replaced by new solutions, because, in the light of the explosive rate of development in medicine, it is very hard for any single individual to keep abreast of developments.

An essential point on the programme for hospital doctors and general practitioners are the state-of-the-art lectures each morning and afternoon, which provide a concentrated summary of key symptoms. Over and above this, there will be seminars on current guidelines, featuring such topics as the treatment of the colorectal carcinoma, peripheral arterial occlusive disease and chronic inflammation and rheumatic disorders. The certified courses and seminars give medical practitioners the opportunity to refresh their knowledge and gain new practical skills, for instance on subjects such as emergency medical care, ultrasound, ECG, reanimation, pulmonary function, microscopy, or tropical and travel medicine. As the organisers of the congress, it is very important to us to offer opportunities for intensive continuing professional education and training in small groups. Some of the sessions are therefore only open to a limited number of participants.

Due to the high level of interest shown last year, we have once again given the major widespread diseases a lot of space. Almost every aspect of cardiovascular disease and cancer is dealt with. The particular challenges posed by an aging society are dealt with in the seminars on palliative care, dementia and depression as well as on typical problems faced in the field of geriatrics. We will also focus on the topic of preventive medicine, providing information on the options available for the prevention of cancer, cardiovascular disease and infectious diseases as well as highlighting the importance of a healthy lifestyle, for instance at the seminars on nutritional medicine and on the prevention of stress and alcohol-related diseases.

There will also be a variety of events dealing with economic, legal and professional issues again this year. For example, the Hartmannbund (Hartmann Union) will hold a full-day symposium on the Friday on various aspects of professional medical practice. In addition to this, there will also be experts including experienced doctors, health economists and lawyers on hand to give advice on issues such as taking over or giving up a surgery, the legal framework for working as a doctor, or on the consequences of the new legal regulations concerning general practice, running a hospital, cooperating as part of a network of surgeries, and invoicing for services.

This year will also be the first time that the annual conference of the Rheinisch-Westfälische Gesellschaft für Innere Medizin (Rhineland-Westphalian Society for Internal Medicine), its 184th annual conference, will take place under the umbrella of MEDICA. Led by Professor Rainer Haas from the Clinic for Haematology, Oncology and Clinical Immunology at Düsseldorf University Hospital, the Friday and Saturday will feature a varied programme focusing on the main areas of internal medicine such as cardiology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, nephrology and geriatrics. This programme will be augmented by practical courses organised by the society at Düsseldorf University Hospital on the Thursday.

Alongside the events aimed at doctors, the MEDICA congress will also offer special training sessions for other medical professions such as nurses and carers, medical technical assistants, doctor's receptionists, physiotherapists as well as information forums for patients and relatives.

MEDICA stands out from other such events not only due to its interdisciplinary character, but also due to the way in which the MEDICA congress is combined with the German Hospital Conference and an international trade fair. The programme is rounded off with associated technical forums such as MEDICA MEDIA, where new developments in the field of telemedicine will be presented, MEDICA VISION, featuring findings of innovative technological research funded by the BMBF, and a physiotherapy forum, events which in and of themselves are excellent and, seen as a whole, are unique worldwide.

The MEDICA Congress takes place from 18 – 21 November 2009, from 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. each day, at the congress centres CCD South, CCD Pavillon and CCD East in Düsseldorf.

For information on MEDICA 2009 and to download the programme for the MEDICA Congress 2009, visit:
http://www.medica.de

For information on the congress, please contact:
MEDICA Deutsche Gesellschaft für Interdisziplinäre Medizin e. V.
Tel: +49(0)711-720 712-0
E-mail: info@medicacongress.de
Website: http://www.medicacongress.de

Düsseldorf, 30 August, 2009

Prof. Dr. med. Werner Scherbaum
President of the
MEDICA Deutsche Gesellschaft für Interdisziplinäre Medizin e. V.

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