CALL FOR ABSTRACTS INSTRUCTIONS 2019
SUBMISSION DEADLINES:
1. Call for sessions and workshops: February 9, 2019 – 11:59 p.m. (ET)
2. Call for free-standing papers & posters: April 5, 2019 – 11:59 p.m. (ET)
Please read all instructions before completing your submission.
MAINPRO+® CERTIFICATION
Eligible Topics:
Clinical, therapeutic, faculty development, primary care research, practice management, alternative health practices as they relate to primary care, resiliency and burnout prevention; directly linked to CanMEDS-roles.
Ineligible Topics:
Any topics outside the generally accepted scope of family practice (e.g., esthetic procedures), business topics for physician benefits (e.g., personal financial planning), alternative health practice techniques, CCFP/CAC Exam prep courses and programs for personal well-being (e.g., yoga), self-growth, or personal development.
TYPES OF ABSTRACTS
1. Sessions/workshops
One-credit-per-hour sessions: Family Medicine Forum (FMF) sessions are typically one hour in length. They may include from 20 to more than 1,000 participants, and most sessions are provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that FMF cannot guarantee that the room size and layout will be conductive to a small group workshop setting. If accepted, please tailor your session accordingly. These sessions are certified as part of FMF.
Enhanced clinical sessions: Tailored to meet the needs of practitioners who have an
interest in focused clinical areas/communities of practice, including those
with a certificate of added competence (CAC), the Enhanced Clinical Sessions facilitate
learning and strengthen added competencies. These sessions are certified as
part of FMF. Curious about what we offer? Go to http://www.cfpc.ca/cpfm to
check out previous offerings.
Two- or three-credit-per-hour Mainpro+ workshops: Are small group workshops that must be separately certified through the CFPC National Office. Workshop providers should aim to have 10-12 participants per facilitator. Please review all Mainpro+ guidelines prior to submitting a two or three credit workshop. FMF can only accept programs that are currently certified or have applied for certification. If a program’s certification expires prior to FMF 2019, it is the responsibility of the program provider to apply for re-certification upon acceptance. All workshops must be certified six months prior to FMF for inclusion in the FMF program.
2. Free-standing papers/posters
Free-standing papers: Free-standing paper presentations (research and teaching related) are 10-minute oral presentations with an additional five minutes for questions. They are presented on Day 1 (Wednesday).
Posters: Poster presentations showcase academic, research, or clinical information that is typically a result of an individual or team project/initiative. Research and teaching posters are featured on Day 1. Clinical Posters are presented on Day 2 and Day 3. You may submit to one poster call only. The same poster cannot be presented twice.
PRESENTER INFORMATION
Mainpro+ session and workshop presenters: Only the primary presenter will receive complimentary registration on the day they present. All co-presenters will be required to pay the registration fee. Note: Full day workshop providers will receive one additional complimentary registration for a co-presenter (if applicable)
Poster and free-standing paper presenters: Must be registered and are required to pay the registration fee.
Correspondence: Will only be sent to the primary presenter, please share all correspondence with co-presenters.
Commitment: If accepted to the FMF program it is extremely important that you honour the commitment to present. It is also greatly appreciated to submit a copy of handouts or your slides in advance to help promote and support excellence in CPD for family medicine.
ABSTRACT GUIDELINES AND TIPS
IMPORTANT NOTES:
- Abstracts will not be edited for grammatical errors and will be published as submitted; please review your abstract to ensure there are no errors prior to submission
- The abstract must not contain charts, graphics, references, credits, bulleting, or numbering
- The use generic drug names instead of brand names wherever possible; the use of specific brand names is strongly discouraged
NOTING AUTHORS AND PRESENTERS:
- Do not include your name or reference to your company name (if applicable) or the names of any presenters/authors in the abstract description
- When noting credentials in the author list, do not include degrees in progress or bachelor’s degrees
- If applicable, MD should be first credential listed and the number of degrees/designations per author should be limited to four
Title:
The word count maximum for the abstract title is 10 words. Your title should be short and concise, capturing the essence of the presentation. The title will be the session’s key identifier and will define the primary focus of the session for registrants. Titles are to be presented in title case; do not use all caps.Learning objectives:
The word count maximum for each learning objective (maximum three learning objectives) is 20 words.A clear learning objective states what the learner will be able to do upon completion of a CPD activity, in terms of behavioural change. A clear objective identifies the physician behaviour or desired outcome of the educational offering. These behaviours and/or outcomes have been identified through the needs assessment process.
Step 1: Keep in mind that learning objectives should begin with the phrase, “At the conclusion of this activity, participants will be able to …”
Step 2: Describe the information, skills, behaviours, or perspectives participants will acquire through attendance at and participation in the session. Use verbs that describe an action that can be observed and that is measurable within the time frame of the activity.
Relevant verbs: adjust, apply, assess, compare, conclude, define, demonstrate, detect, determine, differentiate, distinguish, evaluate, examine, explain, explore, identify, implement, integrate, interpret, investigate, list, measure, organize, participate, perform, plan, predict, prepare, produce, recognize, use, verify, write
Verbs to avoid: know, comprehend, understand, appreciate, familiarize, study
Step 3: Conclude with the specifics of what the learner will be doing when demonstrating achievement or mastery of the objectives. Emphasize what the learner will be able to do as a result of participation in the activity.
Objectives review checklist:
1. Are the learning objectives reflective of the needs assessment results?
2. Are the learning objectives measurable?
3. Do the learning objectives target one specific aspect of the expected performance?
4. Do the learning objectives use an effective action verb that targets the desired level of performance?
5. Are the learning objectives learner-centred?
6. Do the learning objectives measure a range of educational outcomes?
7. Do the learning objectives match instructional activities and assessments?
8. Do the learning objectives specify appropriate conditions for performance?
9. Are the learning objectives written in terms of observable behavioural outcomes?
Description:
The word count maximum for the description is 300 words. Descriptions are included in the FMF program and should be clear and concise and include the teaching methods that will be used. FMF endorses the use of non-discriminatory language in presentations and, specifically, gender-neutral language and bias-free communication. Your audience will be looking for “pearls for practice” rather than abstract philosophy.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR FREE-STANDING PRESENTATIONS AND POSTERS
FREE-STANDING PAPER (ORAL) PRESENTATIONS (Wednesday at FMF):
Research will include projects representing primary care research as well as those including rigorous evaluation of innovations that improve family medicine practice or primary health care.
Original research abstracts must meet these requirements:
- All research must be complete when the abstract is submitted
- Previously published research is not acceptable for presentation
- The abstract must include at least one learning objective
- The word count maximum for the abstract description is 300 words and should use these headings: Objective, Design, Setting, Participants, Intervention (if appropriate), Main outcome measures, Results/Findings, Conclusion
- In the author list section, list all authors (including your name, if it applies) and place an asterisk (*) after the primary presenter’s name
- Do not include any names of presenters or authors in the abstract
Sample:
Objective: State the primary objective of the study (e.g., “To determine secondary data analysis ...”). Design: State the basic design of the study (e.g., randomized controlled trial, cohort study, survey, research program evaluation, grounded theory, qualitative descriptive. Setting: Identify the setting in which the study took place. Participants: Explain the important eligibility criteria and key demographic characteristics of the participants. Provide the sample size. Intervention: Describe the essential features of any intervention, key instrument, or database used to complete the study. Main outcome measures: State the primary outcome measures of the study if applicable. Results (or, if qualitative methods, “Findings”): Provide the main results of the study or evaluation. Conclusion: State the study’s conclusions that are supported directly by the study results as well as their potential implications.
For more information please visit, http://www.cfp.ca/content/Author-Instructions
POSTERS - RESEARCH (Wednesday at FMF):
Original research abstracts must meet these requirements:
- All research must be completed at the time the abstract is submitted
- Previously published research is not acceptable for presentation
- The abstract description should use these headings (see sample above): Context, Objective, Design, Setting, Participants, Intervention (if appropriate), Main outcome measures, Results/Findings, Conclusion
- List all authors (including your name if it applies) and place an asterisk (*) after the primary presenter’s name
- Do not include any names of presenters or authors in the abstract
Original research work in progress (poster submissions only) must meet these requirements:
- All posters for work in progress must have “work in progress” in the title
- Previously published research is not acceptable for presentation
- The abstract description should use these headings (see sample above): Context, Objective, Design, Setting, Participants, Intervention (if appropriate), Main outcome measures, Results/Findings, Conclusion
- List all authors (including your name if it applies) and place an asterisk (*) after the primary presenter’s name
- Do not include any names of presenters or authors in the abstract
POSTERS - GENERAL (Thursday and Friday at FMF):
- Projects previously presented at FMF will not be accepted
- Student and resident posters are welcome
REVIEW CRITERIA
Please note that the FMF Committee will only review a maximum of five abstracts per primary presenter.
SESSIONS/WORKSHOPS
You must select a Primary Category when submitting your abstract. Sessions and workshops are reviewed and categorized for comparison utilizing the primary category only. You may select additional categories for tagging in the FMF App.
General Family Practice: Please select this category only if it absolutely does not relate to ANY of the other 20+ streams or topics available. You will not be able to select sub-categories if this is selected as the primary.
Health Humanities: Refers to interdisciplinary approach (including stories, history, art, music, and narrative) to explore resiliency, burnout prevention, as well as patient care related to illness, and well being.
Submissions will be peer reviewed based on the following criteria:
- Does the abstract meet the criteria for Mainpro+ certification?
- Was the conflict of interest information appropriately declared and mitigated?
- Does the abstract deal with important issues?
- Does this topic meet the needs of our members and their communities?
- Are objectives actionable?
- Are the objectives well defined?
- Are the objectives attainable using the educational methods described?
- Is the description clear and well-written?
RESEARCH SESSIONS, FREE-STANDING PAPERS, AND POSTERS
Submissions will be evaluated using the following criteria (each on a five-point scale):
- Relevance to family medicine
- Clarity of the research question and appropriateness of the methods
- Trustworthiness of the results/findings
- Potential impact of the findings or conclusions
- Overall interest to family physicians
Features that increase the likelihood of results being trustworthy:
- Cohort/observational studies: inclusion criteria clear; sample size sufficient; validated and reliable measures used; response rate > 80 per cent; follow-up rate > 80 per cent (if longitudinal); statistical analysis appropriate; conclusions justified by findings
- Trials: inclusion criteria clear; allocation randomized; randomization concealed; blindness considered; sample size sufficient; valid and reliable measures used; acceptable follow-up rate; statistical analysis appropriate; conclusions justified by findings
- Qualitative studies: methodology stated (e.g., grounded theory, phenomenology) sampling justified (e.g., purposive, theoretical, snowball); data collected; type of analysis described (e.g., iterative, thematic, constant comparison); conclusions justified by findings