Category Definitions

Clinical Competition  Definition:  A clinical vignette is a report of one or more cases that illustrates a new disease entity, or a prominent or unusual clinical feature of an established disease.  It may include a summary of pertinent patient history, physical findings, laboratory data, or management description.

Research Competition  Definition:  Submissions can report clinical and/or laboratory-based research, delineate a new investigation into mechanisms of disease, or consist of detailed review of a clinical problem.  Abstracts concerned with efficiency, cost or method of health care delivery, quality of care, and medical decision-making are also encouraged. 

Quality, Advocacy and Public Policy Definition: Abstracts submitted for this broad category should address issues of health systems improvement in the areas of public policy, advocacy, patient safety, quality improvement, and value based care. As such – submissions will be combined in this interrelated category.  

Reports of advocacy on behalf of public policy, patient care, quality improvement, prevention of waste or harm, health care management, patients’ or physicians’ rights or a related topic are welcome.  Case reports may be used to illustrate the need for advocacy or quality improvement.

Advocacy submissions should include a summary and impact of the effort(s).

Submissions on patient safety, quality and/or value should include outcome data and/or a review of the literature.