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SIDM2020: Call for Abstracts

Call for Abstracts Are Closed

Join us in Minneapolis for the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (SIDM)'s 13th International Diagnostic Error in Medicine Conference (SIDM2020). We will come together to showcase developments in the field of diagnostic quality and safety, and focus on the unique role of public policy in driving advances in research, quality improvement, and medical education.

This year's theme is: Transforming Education & Practice to Improve Diagnosis

SIDM2020 brings together physicians, patients, nurses, healthcare professionals, researchers, institutional leaders, policymakers, educators, students, and residents to highlight and share recent innovations to improve the diagnostic process.

The SIDM2020 Program Planning Committee seeks submissions for scientific, education, clinical vignette, or practice improvement abstract proposals.

In order for your presentation to be considered, abstract guidelines must be followed as closely as possible. Please ensure that the presenting author completes the abstract submission. Abstracts must be submitted by June 15th, 11:59 p.m. ET.

All abstracts should report original, previously unpublished work. Although abstracts may reflect work previously presented elsewhere, the work should not be published prior to the conference dates. Work currently under peer review with an anticipated publication date after October 20, 2020 may be submitted. There is no limit on the total number of abstracts submitted by each presenter. However, if one author submits more than one abstract about the same data set, the abstracts should be substantially different. Authors implicitly approve publication of their accepted abstracts in the open access journal Diagnosis.

Given the timing of SIDM2020, we remain hopeful that the conference will take place as planned. The safety and well-being of all conference attendees remains our top priority. Our leadership is actively monitoring the situation, and we will share future updates here.

Quick Links
Submission Themes | Review Process | Guidelines | Requirements | Submission | Registration | CME

Oral Presentations

10 minutes for presentation and 5 minutes for questions

Oral presentations may be scientific, education, or practice improvement (see further explanations below). Where possible, presentations with a similar theme will be grouped together.

Poster Presentations

Permanently displayed during the conference; presenters will stand by their posters for one hour

Posters will include scientific, education, practice improvement, or clinical vignette abstracts. A poster viewing session will take place for delegates to discuss the posters with their authors.

In balancing the program, the committee may require authors to present their work in an alternate format (e.g. as a poster rather than oral presentation).

Submission Themes

Submission Deadline: June 15th, 11:59 p.m. ET
Notifications: July 2020

Scientific Abstracts

Scientific Abstracts should report the results of original research related to diagnostic error in medicine and must contain quantitative or qualitative data. Each abstract should be 400 words or less, have a descriptive title, and the following four sections:

  1. Background
  2. Methods
  3. Results
  4. Conclusion

This may include 1 table or figure. If table or figure is included, the abstract narrative must be reduced to 350 words.

Education Abstracts

Education Abstracts should describe educational programs, evaluation of educational programs, learner assessments, or other aspects of improving diagnosis through health professions education. Studies formally addressing pedagogy, assessment, and development of expertise are also invited. While all submissions are welcomed, we especially encourage descriptions of programs that have robust assessment and evaluation methodology. Further, submissions should address challenges to generalizability of the work as well as integration into existing educational structures. Abstracts should be 400 words or less, have a descriptive title, and follow the outline below:

  1. Purpose/Problem
  2. Description of program, assessment, or study
  3. Outcomes
  4. Discussion
  5. Significance of findings

This may include 1 table or figure. If table or figure is included, the abstract narrative must be reduced to 350 words.

Clinical Vignettes

Clinical Vignettes should be cases or scenarios that highlight actual or potential diagnostic errors and have educational value for a wider audience. They should also include a brief discussion of the relevant scientific literature. Each vignette should be 300 words or less, have a descriptive title, and the following three sections:

  1. Learning objectives
  2. Case information
  3. Discussion

This may include 1 table or figure. If table or figure is included, the abstract narrative must be reduced to 250 words or less.

Practice Improvement Abstracts

Practice Improvement Abstracts should describe programs, strategies, tools, or solutions to improve communication or information flow, and/or process performance for clinical providers and patients to reduce harm associated with diagnostic error in diverse delivery systems. Ideally, these should be solutions that can be quickly implemented in routine practice. Programs addressing diagnostic error in medicine that have been piloted or implemented are encouraged.

These abstracts should include information that allows session attendees to evaluate the replicability of such programs at their institutions. This category is intended for descriptive abstracts as well as programs with more rigorous evaluations. Solutions may be related to but not limited to practice management, patient engagement, and/or use of health information technology. Each abstract should be 400 words or less, have a descriptive title, and the following four sections:

  1. Statement of problem
  2. Description of the intervention or program
  3. Findings to date
  4. Lessons learned

This may include 1 table or figure. If table or figure is included, the abstract narrative must be reduced to 350 words or less.

Review Process and Selection Criteria for SIDM2020

All submitted abstracts will be reviewed by researchers and experts in diagnostic error; ranked in relation to other submissions within the same category; and rated on the basis of originality, appropriateness of methodology, clarity of presentation, and implications for research, education, or clinical practice. Submissions in all 4 categories are eligible for poster presentation; the top-ranked Scientific, Education, and Practice Improvement abstracts will be selected for oral presentations.

Abstract Preparation Guidelines for All Presentations

  • Specify all abbreviations in full at the first mention, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses, thereafter abbreviation only should be used.
  • Abstract should be written in English.
  • Check abstract thoroughly for spelling and grammar (will not be edited by conference staff).
  • Do not include references.
  • Do not include a header or footer.

All Abstract Submissions Must Include:

  • Title:
    • Maximum number of words: 15
  • Authors:
    • Principal author should appear first.
    • Use last name/surname followed by first name.
    • Include affiliation for each author.
  • Body of Abstract:
    • Maximum number of words: Scientific, Education, Practice Improvement 400 words, Clinical Vignettes 300 words with section headings specified above. If optional table or figure is added, the maximum number of words for the abstract must be reduced by 50 words.

Abstract Submission

Abstracts must be submitted electronically by the presenting author through the online submission site. You will be required to enter:

  • Preferred presentation type
  • Authors’ names (presenting author contact details - address, telephone and email).
  • Authors’ affiliations
  • Abstract title

By submitting an abstract all authors agree to release the license to the conference organizers and give permission to publish the abstract in the conference handbook, website, application, etc. and in so doing certify that the abstract is original work.

Note: If your abstract does not conform to the guidelines, including if it is over the word limit, it may be returned to the submitting author to revise or rejected.

Conference Registration

Abstract presenters will be required to fund their own attendance at the conference and should not submit an abstract if attendance is not possible. All presenters (including poster presenters) will be required to register for the conference. It will be assumed that any presenter not registered has withdrawn from the program and their abstract will be removed from the syllabus and schedule.

CME and Conflict of Interest Compliance

  • Med-IQ is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Med-IQ is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.
  • All presenters are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest.
  • Presenters must promote improvements or quality in healthcare and not a specific proprietary business or commercial interest.
  • For oral presenters, please include a slide at the beginning of your presentation stating your learning objective(s).
  • For poster presenters, please include a learning objective(s), in easily readable font, on the poster.
  • Educational materials that are part of a CME activity cannot contain any advertising, trade name, trade symbol or product-group message.
  • Use of product brand names or logos is not permitted.
  • Use of trademarks or registered service marks for any organization without their permission (except for clinical citations) will not be permitted.
  • Use of company slides is not permitted.
  • Recommendations or emphasis must fairly represent, and be based on, a reasonable and valid interpretation of the information available on the subject (e.g., "On balance the data support the following ..."). A balanced view of therapeutic options also means that no single product or service is over-represented in the educational activity when other equal but competing products or services are available for inclusion.
  • For slide presentations and print materials, each slide or key teaching point must state the kind of trial that demonstrates the data being discussed. Slides are not required to state, for example, "Level 1 evidence" (although it is acceptable to include it), but slides are required to include a statement, for example, "Systematic review of 35 RCTs..." or "Case-controlled trial..." that supports what is being discussed and presented within each slide. This is a conventional approach in the tradition of evidence-based medicine and may be viewed at the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine.
  • Professional references must be cited for educational content. It is acceptable to list references at the end of a slide presentation or on a single sheet for poster presentations.
Key Deadlines
  • Submission Deadline Extended: June 15th, 11:59 p.m. ET

  • Notifications: July 2020