Dear colleagues,

Attached please find the prospectus and registration forms for the 2008 international ICD-10 course in Brisbane, Australia. For the first time this year, we have added an additional week prior to the regular introductory course designed as a train the trainer session. The full three week program will run from 23 June-11 July 2008 and participants can select the week or weeks suitable to their needs.

Week 1 of the training program is designed for individuals who have already had formal training in the use of the ICD-10 (or ICD-10-AM) for morbidity and/or mortality coding, and who will provide training and coder support for local coding staff in their own countries. Participants in this week will be required to demonstrate knowledge about ICD-10 prior to acceptance into the program. Successful candidates will assist with the conduct of the second and third weeks of the full program.

Weeks 2 and 3 will provide an introduction to the ICD-10, designed to train coders in the use of ICD-10 for morbidity and/or mortality coding. No assumed knowledge of coding is required to enrol in this part of the program. It is also suitable for researchers and analysts working with ICD-10 codes in both morbidity and mortality data collections who require an understanding of how coding is performed and how diagnoses and causes of death are selected and coded. The objectives of this ten day program are to enable participants to :

1. understand and use basic ICD-10 coding conventions;
2. interpret and utilise World Health Organization rules for morbidity and mortality coding;
3. accurately assign codes to reflect main (principal) diagnosis and underlying cause of death;
4. appreciate the concept of multiple coding for morbidity and mortality collections;
5. utilise strategies for improving coded data.

For further information, please visit the National Centre for Classification in Health website at www.ncch.com.au or contact:

Mrs Sue Walker
Associate Director
National Centre for Classification in Health
School of Public Health
Queensland University of Technology
Victoria Park Road
Kelvin Grove Queensland 4059
Australia
Tel: + 61 (0)7 3138 5873
Fax: + 61 (0)7 3138 5515
E-mail: ncch.brisbane@qut.edu.au