This year's congress

As medical practices become more and more automated among patients and doctors, the role of technology in healthcare has become critical to effective patient care. Technology helps to reduce errors, prevent adverse drug reactions, protect patient privacy, and improve overall care. Nowadays, technology plays a major role in every aspect of health care. One of these aspects is the development of treatment methods that results in better patient outcomes. Therefore it is crucial that future doctors gain knowledge of the increasing number of technical innovations in health care. ISCOMS 2023 will give you an exclusive insight into the world of Hi-Tech Health. 

Different aspects of Hi-Tech Health will be displayed at ISCOMS 2023. For instance, the operation will be about the removal of endometriosis using the cutting-edge Da Vinci robot. Furthermore Prof. Samuel Achilefu MD PhD will give an interesting lecture about his invention of the so-called ‘Cancer Goggles’ which allows a surgeon to see cancer cells during an operation. Moreover, Hi-Tech Health will be demonstrated in several workshops.  

The logo for Hi-Tech Health can be seen at the bottom of this page. Workshops or lectures that are Hi-Tech Health-related can be recognised via this logo. 

We are very happy to announce that ISCOMS 2023 will take place in fully physical form. The last editions of ISCOMS took place entirely online or hybrid. We would love to welcome you in Groningen for ISCOMS 2023!

Sustainability is one of our main objectives during the congress. Hospitals contribute a great amount to the health of human society, however, they also play a huge role in polluting our planet. Therefore, ISCOMS will raise awareness of the impact hospitals have. In the following, we outline how this will be done. 

Maria Koijck is a Dutch spatial artist, who wants to increase people’s awareness of surgery waste. In 2019 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and her breast had to be removed. From the waste that was produced during the operation, she made a piece of art that will be shown in the lunch area throughout the congress (see video).  

To reduce waste during the congress, we ask all our participants to bring their own water bottles and bags. There will be no physical congress bag. However, there is a stand with free sustainable gadgets and there is a possibility to buy an ISCOMS bag.  

Next to this, the book of abstracts (BoA) will be online, and also all the poster presentations will be given on LCD screens this year to save paper. You can find the BoA on our website and in our app.  

Furthermore, the congress will be 100% vegetarian, which saves more than 1800 kilos of CO₂! Next, we strongly advise our European participants to come by train (see the train map of Europe made by the Green Office of the University of Groningen). If you travel by plane, you can compensate for your flight by investing in sustainable solar energy, see www.flygrn.com.

If you are interested in making the hospital sector more sustainable, we strongly recommend signing up for the sustainable workshop during the congress! 

In short: travel by train and bring your own water bottle and bag!