End-to-end diagnostic stewardship - from pre-analytical pathways to post-analytical interventions

Event Description

This three-day, hands-on postgraduate course provides a multidisciplinary approach to diagnostic stewardship, covering the entire diagnostic pathway from specimen collection and laboratory testing to result interpretation and reporting. Through interactive workshops, real-life case simulations, and laboratory practicals, participants will explore diagnostic technologies, selective reporting strategies, and clinical decision support tools. Working in multidisciplinary teams, participants will develop practical skills to optimise antimicrobial use, strengthen antimicrobial stewardship, and improve patient safety.

Intended audience 

This course is designed for infectious disease specialists, clinical microbiologists, clinical pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals involved in antimicrobial stewardship programmes. It is also suitable for residents and trainees in these disciplines seeking to strengthen their knowledge and practical skills in diagnostic stewardship.

Objectives 

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Identify common pre-analytical errors, including specimen mislabelling, contamination, and transport delays, and assess their impact on diagnostic accuracy and patient safety.
• Explain the principles of key diagnostic technologies, including MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, multiplex PCR, and phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST), and critically interpret their results and limitations.
• Apply selective and cascade antimicrobial susceptibility reporting strategies to support appropriate antibiotic use and antimicrobial stewardship.
• Describe the principles of clinical decision support systems (CDSS) and behavioural interventions, including nudge theory, and explore their integration into laboratory and clinical practice.
• Collaborate effectively within multidisciplinary teams to make evidence-based, patient-centred diagnostic and antimicrobial stewardship decisions in complex clinical cases.

Course coordinator

Osman Cirit, Türkiye

Organisers

ESCMID, ESGAP, Société belge d’Infectiologie et Microbiologie Clinique (SBIKM), Turkısh Society of Clinical Microbiology (KLIMUD), Ecraid

Accreditation

ESCMID office will apply for EACCME accreditation. 
Each participant can only receive the number of credits according to actual participation in the event and upon completion of the feedback survey.

Certification

Course organisers will monitor attendance. Participants are required to attend at least 70% of live sessions to be eligible to receive a certificate.

Course Venue

Gaziantep City Hospital, Gaziantep City Council

Accommodation

Accommodation is not included in the registration.

Registration details

Registration fees include full access to the course, coffee breaks and lunches described in the programme. Travel costs and accommodation are not included with either fee.

Do not miss the opportunity to update your knowledge with an extensive network of experts in the field, and register now!

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