Webinar on Improving diagnosis for patient safety in medical imaging

World Patient Safety Day 2024

Background

Recognizing the critical importance of correct and timely diagnoses in ensuring patient safety, “Improving diagnosis for patient safety” has been selected as the theme for World Patient Safety Day 2024. This is especially relevant when it comes to medical imaging and radiation safety where an understanding of benefits and risks is an important aspect.

Through the slogan “Get it right, make it safe!”, WHO calls for concerted efforts to significantly reduce diagnostic errors through multifaceted interventions rooted in system thinking, human factors and active engagement of patients, their families, health workers and their leaders. These interventions include but are not limited to ascertaining complete patient history, undertaking thorough clinical examination, improving access to diagnostic examinations, implementing methods to measure and learn from errors, and adopting technology-based solutions.

The webinar aims to raise global awareness of errors in diagnosis contributing to patient harm and emphasize the pivotal role of correct, timely and safe diagnosis in improving patient safety. It will bring together NGOs in official relations with WHO involved in radiation safety and medical imaging. Furthermore, the WHA76.5 resolution on Strengthening Diagnostics Capacity that calls for safe use of diagnostic imaging procedures, and the IAEA’s perspective on quality in medical imaging to prevent errors and ensure patient safety will be presented.

The panelists will discuss their strategies for improving diagnosis for patient safety and how their organizations can foster collaboration with policymakers, health care leaders, health workers, patients, and other stakeholders in advancing correct, timely and safe diagnosis.

This webinar is organized by WHO with contributions from the IAEA, and the following NGOs in official relations with WHO: ICNIRP, ICRP, IOMP, ISR, ISRRT, RAD-AID, WFNMB and WFUMB.

Agenda

• Welcoming remarks – Emilie van Deventer (WHO) / DG recorded message
• WHO’s World Patient Safety Day – Ayda Taha (WHO)
• Patient testimony – Steve Ebdon-Jackson (Patient representative)
• WHO resolution on strengthening diagnostics capacity: Committing to safe imaging procedures – Adriana Velazquez Berumen (WHO)
• The IAEA’s perspective in enhancing Patient Safety in medical imaging: The power of quality to prevent diagnostic errors – Virginia Tsapaki (IAEA)
• Panel discussion: What is the role of NGOs in improving medical radiological diagnosis to enhance patient safety?
• Conclusion and closing remarks – Ferid Shannoun (WHO)

Speakers

Mr Steve Ebdon-Jackson worked as a medical physicist before joining the Department of Health in England as a policy maker. He transferred to the Health Protection Agency/Public Health England where he provided advisory functions on radiation protection issues to UK government departments and international organizations. Since retiring in 2019 he has become a patient advocate, bringing with him experience of healthcare as both a professional and a patient.

Dr Ferid Shannoun is a Scientist at the Radiation and Health Unit of the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. He is a medical physicist by training, holding two master’s degrees and a doctorate in Public Health from the University of Bielefeld, Germany. 

Dr Ayda Taha is a Medical Doctor and a Public Health Specialist with a passion for improving patient safety. She is Technical Officer at the Patient Safety Flagship, Integrated Health Services Department at World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. 

Dr Virginia Tsapaki is a Medical Physicist working for the Dosimetry and Radiation Physics Section, Division of Human Health at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria. Her focus is on medical imaging and dosimetry in diagnostic and interventional radiology as well as in nuclear medicine. 

Dr Emilie van Deventer is the Head of the Radiation and Health Unit at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. The unit covers public health aspects of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation safety. She has a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan, USA.

Ms Adriana Velazquez Berumen is the Team Lead on medical devices and in vitro diagnostics at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. She is a Biomedical Engineer with postgraduate degree in Clinical Engineering from the Case Western Reserve University, USA.

Panelists

International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP)

Dr Akimasa Hirata joined the ICNIRP Main Commission in May 2016 and serves as its Chair since July 2024. He received a B.E. and a Ph.D. in Communications Engineering from Osaka University, Suita, Japan. He is currently a Full Professor in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and the Director of the Center for Biomedical Physics and Information Technology at the Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan. 

International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP)

Dr Colin Martin is Vice-Chair of ICRP Committee 3 (Radiation Protection in Medicine) and Chair of ICRP Task Group TG108 on Optimisation of radiological protection in digital radiology and TG116 on Use of imaging in radiotherapy. Dr Martin has a PhD in Physics and worked as a clinical Medical Physicist for 38 years. He is also an honorary senior lecturer for the University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK.

International Organization for Medical Physics (IOMP)

Dr John Damilakis is Full Professor and Chairman at the Department of Medical Physics, School of Medicine, University of Crete and Director of the Department of Medical Physics of the University Hospital of Heraklion, Crete, Greece. He received a Ph.D. in Medical Physics from the University of Crete, Greece. He is currently President of IOMP and Past President of the European Alliance for Medical Radiation Protection Research and the European Federation of Organizations for Medical Physics. 

International Society of Radiology (ISR)

Dr Bibb Allen Jr., President of the ISR, is a diagnostic radiologist with the Birmingham Radiological Group and is in community practice at Grandview Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama. He is Senior Advisor of the American College of Radiology Data Science Institute and Past President of the American College of Radiology.

International Society of Radiographers and Radiological Technologists (ISRRT)

Mr Edward HT Chan completed a basic radiography training in Hong Kong and Australia and holds two master's degrees in Psychology and Health Care. He holds the position of Director of Professional Practice at ISRRT. He works as a Senior Radiographer in the Medical Imaging Department at the University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Hospital. 

RAD-AID International (RAD-AID)

Dr Massimo Donalisio is a radiologist at the Centre d’Imagerie Diagnostique in Lausanne, Switzerland. He received a medical degree from the University of Turin, Italy and completed his post-graduate studies with a fellowship in musculoskeletal imaging at the University Hospital of Lausanne, Switzerland. Since March 2024, he serves as the Liaison to Intergovernmental Organizations at RAD-AID.

World Federation of Nuclear Medicine and Biology (WFNMB)

Dr Lizette Louw is a Nuclear Medicine Physician at the Center of Molecular Imaging and Theranostics, Johannesburg, South Africa. She is the president of WFNMB and past president of both the South African Society of Nuclear Medicine and the South African Association of Nuclear Physicians.

World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (WFUMB)

Dr Christoph Frank Dietrich, MBA, is Professor and Chief of the Medical Department at Hirslanden Kliniken Beau Site, Salem and Permanence, Switzerland. He is currently serving as WFUMB Treasurer. He was WFUMB Vice President, Chair of the WFUMB Publication Committee and Member of the WFUMB Administrative Council. He studied Medicine in Hannover (Germany), New York (USA) and Montpellier (France). He also studied Philosophy, Politics and History at University of Hannover and received an MBA on International Hospital and Healthcare Management from the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management (Germany).

Recording