How to Write an Abstract & Create a Poster for Presentation

How to Write an Abstract and Create a Poster for Presentation Andrea Robinson, MSN Amy Morris, BSN Kelly Bartsch, PharmD Lindsey Bronstein, MSN

Objectives • What is an abstract? ➢Nuts & Bolts of a Research abstract ➢Nuts & Bolts of a QI abstract

• Nuts & Bolts of a Clinical Case Report

• Key Conferences and dates for submission

What is an abstract?

Adj: considered apart from concrete existence, not applied or practical: theoretical, difficult to understand: abstruse1 Noun: a statement summarizing the important points of a text, something abstract1

• Article abstracts ➢Prepared once the study or project is completed ➢First look at your work by editors, reviewers, and readers on PubMed

• Conference abstracts ➢Often written to give a preview of work-in-progress with preliminary generalized findings and provides foundation to turn a research study into a published manuscript ➢Conference organizers will preview submitted abstracts and choose which to highlight for poster presentation, brief talks, travel awards, or journal submission 1. American heritage dictionary of the English language, 5th edition, 2016

Abstract Categories • Allied Health or General submission • Basic/Translational Science • Research ➢Disease state specific ➢Device or procedural specific ➢Genetics ➢Pharmacologic

• Quality Improvement ➢Clinical quality outcomes ➢Health economics

Nuts & Bolts of a Research Abstract Human Subject Research

Quality Improvement

Purpose

Designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge

Designed to implement knowledge, assess a process or program as judged by established/accepted standards

Starting Point

Knowledge-seeking is independent of routine care and intended to answer a question or test a hypothesis

Knowledge-seeking is integral to ongoing management system for delivering health care

Design

Follows a rigid protocol that remains unchanged throughout the research

Adaptive, iterative design

Benefits

Might or might not benefit current subjects; intended to benefit future patients

Directly benefits a process, system, or program; might or might not benefit patients

Risks

May put subjects at risk

Does not increase risk to patients, with exception of possible patients’ privacy or confidentiality of data

Participant Obligation

No obligation of individuals to participate

Responsibility to participate as component of care

Endpoint

Answer a research question

Improve a program, process or system

Analysis

Statistically prove or disprove hypothesis

Compare program, process or system to establish standards

Adoption of Results

Little urgency to disseminate results quickly

Results rapidly adopted into local care delivery

Publication/Presentation

Investigator obliged to share results

QI practitioners encouraged to share systematic reporting of insights

Adapted from The Ethics of Using QI Methods to Improve Health Care Quality and Safety, The Hastings Center. 2006

Usual Research Project Process Identify Research Topic

Preliminary Literature Search

Full Literature Search

Identify the Specific Aims of the study

Define the Population/Sample size (calculations as needed)

Study is initiated, proceed with prospective or retrospective data collection

?unique/novel/valuable?

Full Protocol Development

Budget determination

IRB submission

Address/Respond to IRB recommendations and/or stipulations

Data Entry/Quality control

Statistical Analysis & Results Review

Abstract Completion

Manuscript Development

Presentation/

Publication

Nuts & Bolts of a Research Abstract • Choose a good title ➢This may report the main finding of your work but if it is still preliminary, consider stating your main goal. ➢Should be short and concise

• Include a brief background/objective ➢Provide the reader what is essential to understand about your topic and an overview of what is already known. Explain the main reasoning or rationale for your project and why it is important to your field. Is there a gap in knowledge, are you examining a new topic, or applying a new method to existing data?

Nuts & Bolts of a Research Abstract • Research/Methods ➢Describe the design of the study, population, and methods for applying intervention or data analysis

• Findings/Results ➢Clearly state your results and make sure there is a distinction between what was previously known and what is new information or findings from your work ➢If the results are preliminary, make sure to state the continued plan for assessment or the approach you plan to use to to address the outstanding questions

• Conclusions ➢Include the significance or implications from your findings

Tips for a good research abstract • Read and re-read the submission guidelines ➢Word or characters count, format will be different ➢Recommendations regarding abbreviations, text format

• Ask someone else to read and review for accuracy • Decide on authorship requirements prior to completion/submission

Research abstract → Poster • Illustrates the abstracts main points visually • Use same or similar headings as abstract • Can expound on work without strict word/character counts • Exercise creativity with graphs, tables, illustrations

• QR codes to link to other related work/publications

Quality Improvement Abstract / Poster

Amy Morris MBA, BSN, RN, CCRN-K

What is a Quality Improvement (QI) Abstract?

A clear, brief written summary of a Quality Improvement project • Focus: improving patient safety, quality and evaluating patient satisfaction

Provides an overview of the process and highlights the important points of the results • Outlines key information in a structured format • Describes the essence of your QI work

Conferences typically call for abstracts to be: • Given in an oral presentation • Included in conference proceedings • Turned into a poster

Why should you submit a QI Abstract?

• Shed light on solutions to problems others may be having

• Share your knowledge and experience so others may benefit • Improve patient care • Get credit for your work

• Connect with others on the same journey • Create a ripple effect • Inspire others to make positive changes for patients & families

The Nuts and Bolts of a QI Abstract • Title • Problem Statement or Scientific Question • Background / Project Intent

• Methodology • Results • Conclusion

Nuts & Bolts of an Abstract Title • Describes the focus of your story • Should clearly and succinctly identify the contents of your project and/or your conclusion statement

Background: describe the background and purpose of the project • What is the goal/aim – the problem you were trying to address, the expected change and the time to expected change?

• What is the significance of your project and why would it be of interest to others?

• 2-3 sentences

Methods: overview of your project’s strategy and design, explaining how your goal/aim was achieved • Interventions you performed and changes you made to achieve improvement • How did you measure whether you were successful?

• What was done and how it was done

Nuts & Bolts of an Abstract Results: The results that you obtained before and after your initiative (your measurements).

• 1-2 clear paragraphs • Most important part of the abstract

Conclusions: Short summary of what was learned from the work, any lessons learned for those who want to replicate the project, and any next steps planned.

• 2-3 sentences • “Take-home” message

Examples

What to Avoid • • • • • • • • • • •

Being too vague Being organization specific Forgetting to do a spell/grammar check Ignoring deadlines Including too much information Adapting an old abstract Going on a solo journey Weak discussion Lack of originality Poor methods Inadequate results

Tips & Tricks • Research other abstracts • Ask others to review • Check for errors • Make revisions • Use writing resources

• Ask for help • Active voice is preferable to passive voice • “We analyzed the results” sounds better than “The results were analyzed” • Abbreviations • Use the complete term/phrase before including the acronym or abbreviation in parentheses • Write only one thought per sentence • Eliminate unnecessary words • Use consistent tense

• Review abstract guidelines and deadlines

Additional Thoughts

Abstract

Poster

• Poster is a visual presentation of your QI project • Provides all the same benefits as an abstract, with the added advantages of: • Visually displaying your information for greater clarity • Networking and discussing your project with other attendees

Nuts & Bolts of a Poster Title

Authors

Affiliations

Text

• Capitalize the first letter of each word in the title, apart from prepositions and articles • Should be readable from 10 feet away

• List the lead author first, followed by supporting authors listed alphabetically • Include titles of each author • List each author and his/her institution on a separate line

• List the organization for each author, with its city and state.

• Also identify any affiliation for which there is a conflict of interest

• Use bulleted lists instead of paragraphs where possible • Concise enough to be read in less than 10 mins • Font size should be readable from several feet away

Nuts & Bolts of a Poster Numbers • Spell out numbers only at the beginning of a sentence.

• Use zeros before decimal points

Tables and Graphs • Must include the source of the data being presented • Titles of tables and graphs must include the measure being analyzed • Label all axes

Lab Values • Include units and range for normal.

General Tips • Avoid slang • Proofread your poster abstract/idea to look for any errors, typographical errors, misspellings, etc.

References • Include any journals, literature, or other documents used to develop your project.

Case Reports Kelly Bartsch, PharmD, BCPS, CLS

What Makes a Good Case?

• Two subsets – case report (1 patient) and a case series (2+ patients) • Describe one of the following: • • • • •

Unusual side effects or interactions Unusual disease presentation Variations in ‘typical’ disease processes New and/or emerging diseases Unexpected event in the diagnosis or treatment

Key Components • Introduction • Goal: concise but engages attention and interest • Summarize past literature

• Case Description/Presentation • Figures, if they add value • Discussion • Compare the new case to the previous known literature • Review applicability to practice • Draw clinical conclusions from the presented data

• Conclusion

Case Reports Abstracts • Include text to indicate case report in the title • Main components: • Introduction – brief review of where this case report fits in the literature • Case Presentation – the key facts of the case • Discussion/Conclusion – what does this add to the literature

• Goal is to be as concise and as complete as possible!

Case Presentation • Describe in chronological order • Factors to include (if relevant): • • • • •

Clinical history Physical exam findings Imaging and/or laboratory results Management Follow up

• Keep this suggestion as objective as possible

Case Report - Poster • Goal: expand on the abstract • General tips: • • • •

Use color … but not too much color Limit yourself to a max of ~3 text sizes Use figures and smart art to highlight important parts of your case Ensure consistency!

• References should be added here

• Make sure you understand the poster format!

Case Report - Manuscript • Be sure to check the Author Instructions before you start to compile a submission • Find details on structural requirements – are certain components expected?

Are figures allowed?

• Check the quantity limits – is there a word limit? Are you limited on the number of authors or references?

• Remember: this Isn't an RCT! When you draw conclusions, you can explore and infer, but typically cannot prove or confirm • Consider the case report or case series to be hypothesis generating

JACC Case Reports Specific Recommendations • Excerpted from Author Instructions • Title: max of 15 words • Abstract: max of 50 words • Article layout: • • • • • • • •

History of presentation PMH Differential diagnosis Investigations Management (medical/interventions) Discussion – association with current guidelines / practice Follow up and conclusions Learning objectives

Accessed from: www.jacc.org/pb-assets/documents/author-instructions-jacc-case-reports-1613751500083.pdf

Professional Organizations Submission Deadlines and Links Lindsey Bronstein, MSN

Conferences/Organizations Ohio Chapter ACC

American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy

American College of Cardiology

American Association of Nurses

The Heart Rhythm Society

American Association of Nurse Practitioners

American Heart Association

American Nurses Credentialing Center

Heart Failure Society of America

National Lipid Association

European Society of Cardiology

The 12th Annual Ohio State Advanced Practice Provider Virtual Conference

Questions?

Ideas for future meeting topics?

• Best practices for operationalizing APP and Pharmacist led-clinics • What does “Advocacy” mean to ACC and why should I get involved?

• Clinical/Disease based topics • Quality Improvement • Intro to Cardiovascular Genetics • Write-in suggestions and self nominations for talks • Best Practices in Cardiac Pharmacy • Opportunities for creating novel pharmacy and APP services

Thank you!

Ohio Chapter ACC • Ohio ACC Annual Meeting October 2021 • September 8, 2021 before midnight • https://www.ohioacc.org/virtual-poster-competition/

American College of Cardiology • ACC.21, May 15 – 17, 2021 • ACC.22 is slated for Washington, DC, April 2 – 4, 2022.

• Monday, Dec. 7 2020 at Noon ET (likely submissions will be due before this date as it is a month earlier) • https://accscientificsession.acc.org/en/Submit-Your-Science/Abstracts • https://accscientificsession.acc.org/Submit-Your-Science/Complex-ClinicalCases

The Heart Rhythm Society • Heart Rhythm 2021 will kick off virtually for all attendees on June 30, 2021, followed by the in-person activities in Boston, MA from July 28-31, 2021.

• ABSTRACT SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Friday, February 12, 2021, 11:59 p.m. ET (expect to submit next year at this time) • https://heartrhythm.com/sites/default/files/202012/Abstract%20Submission%20Guidelines%20_for%20Web%2012.9.20_v2. pdf

American Heart Association • November 13–15, 2021 | Boston, MA + Virtual • AHA meeting slated for November 5-7, 2022, Chicago, IL • General abstract submission dates: April 14–June 10, 2021 (expect to submit next year at this time) • https://professional.heart.org/en/meetings/scientificsessions?gclid=Cj0KCQjw1PSDBhDbARIsAPeTqrdiRJebMHdwFicPKmeJ_mUeD2MDO jVOE69S-QElPsfTnxKZKVtAVgIaAj8qEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds • https://www.heart.org/en/about-us/statements-and-policies/copyrightpermission-guidelines

Heart Failure Society of America • SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 - SEPTEMBER 13, 2021 | GAYLORD ROCKIES, DENVER, CO + VIRTUAL • Slated for September 30 – October 3, 2022 Gaylord National National Harbor, MD • Submission dates Friday, March 26, 2021- Monday, May 3, 2021 • https://hfsa.org/annualscientificmeeting/abstracts-and-posters-0

European Society of Cardiology • August 27-30 2021 • 1 April 2021: 12:00 noon CEST, the Call for Abstracts is closed.

• The 43rd European Society of Cardiology (ESC) congress will take place in Barcelona at the end of August 2022

American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy • Annual Meeting July 19, 2021 to July 22, 2021 Virtual • Monday, March 15, 2021 at 11:59 P.M. (PST) • https://www.aacp.org/article/pharmacy-education-2021-submissioninformation

American Association of Nurses • The ANA Policy, Innovation and Advocacy virtual forum is taking place September 14, 2021 • The abstract call is closed.

American Association of Nurse Practitioners • • • • • •

2021 AANP National Conference June 15, 2021 – August 31, 2021 Online 2022 AANP National Conference June 21, 2022 – June 26, 2022 Orlando, Florida Posters can be submitted starting July 1, 2021 https://www.aanp.org/call-for-presentations-2022-aanp-nationalconference

American Nurses Credentialing Center • 2021 ANCC Pathway to Excellence • November 11-13, 2021 Atlanta, Georgia • https://www.pathwaycon.org/

National Lipid Association • 2021 NLA • September 24-26 Orlando, Florida • Abstract Submission Open Monday, February 8, 2021 • Final Abstract Submission Deadline June 15, 2021 11:59:59 p.m Eastern Time • https://www.lipid.org/education/abstracts#:~:text=The%202021%20NLA%2 0Abstract%20Committee,among%20experts%20in%20clinical%20lipidology

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The Annual Ohio State Advanced Practice Provider Virtual Conference • September 23-24, 2021, Virtual • Abstract Submission Open May 7th, 2021 Final Abstract Submission Deadline June 4th, 2021 • Submission requirements were sent via email as a document.

Unfortunately, there was not a link to provide for this presentation.

You can reach out to kim.knight@osumc.edu for the information.