The principal goal of the ISCE annual conferences is the exchange of information through interdisciplinary dialogues, both public and private, among conference participants who represent industry, academia, and health care agencies.

The ISCE conference is unique in being the only annual meeting dedicated solely to computerized electrocardiology, bringing together scientists, clinicians, engineers, and policy makers from academia, medical institutes, industry and government. Attendance is therefore limited to approximately 120 participants, and the preferred site for the meeting is a not-too-large conference facility, somewhat remote from worldly distractions.

The conference program is divided over 3 days into 3 morning and 3 evening sessions, each dedicated to a specific subject. Per session there are 5 or 6 speakers, mostly invited, but from the submitted abstracts a number are eligible for oral presentation. In addition there are daily poster sessions. The emphasis is on discussion: audience participation is encouraged; controversy is welcomed.

Public dialogues take place in the plenary sessions and the published proceedings. Informal dialogues take place at the poster sessions, meal time, and the afternoon ad hoc sessions. The object is to maximize the opportunity of the conferees to interact with the presenters - whether they be epidemiologists, clinicians, electrophysiologists, computer scientists, engineers, or mathematicians. Presenters are encouraged to participate in the public dialogue in all sessions and to be available for informal discussions at other times during the conference.

In this way a forum is created for periodic review of existing ideas and techniques and for appraisal of new developments. Informal discussions in spontaneous small groups provide further opportunity for strengthening cross-disciplinary ties and generating new research incentives.