Writing and Submitting an Abstract: and finding time to do it!

1. Writing and Submitting an Abstract: and finding time to do it! Transplant Management Forum 2014 Linda Ohler, MSN, RN, CCTC, FAAN Editor, Progress in Transplantation Quality/Regulatory Manager George Washington University Transplant Institute Washington, DC

2. Objectives • Identify 6 steps for developing a winning abstract • Discuss 3 steps to provide authors with courage to submit an abstract • Review an accepted abstract • Q and A

3. Next Abstract Submission Dates • June 23-August 18 2014 • Full plenary • Mini Oral • Poster • Concurrent

4. What is an abstract ? • Brief summary that describes a project • Thesis, research report, performance improvement project, service project • Identifies a problem, objective or rationale for the project • Describes scope of work/methods • What you did to accomplish the objective or resolve the problem • Describe the results of changes made • Conclusions/recommendations based on your findings or experience • Word limit • Often 300-500 words

5. What types of abstracts are there? • Research • Clinical • Performance Improvement • Case Study • Didactic Presentation • Professional Development • Staffing • Managing regulatory issues • Applying Six Sigma to Transplantation • Writing a QAPI Plan • Documentation of multidisciplinary rounds

6. Identify Steps in Developing a Winning Abstract • 1. Review the guidelines and categories • 2. Decide on a topic (passion needed here) • Relevant to transplant • Innovative • Practice that supports an identified problem • Review the literature on the topic • Determine gaps in the literature/knowledge of conference participants • 3. Identify goals and objectives • Develop problem section

7. Review the Guidelines and Categories 1. Cost reduction/Increase in work efficiency/Patient Care Safety Programs 2. Quality assurance/Improvement/Transplant pharmacoeconomics 3. Revenue management/Optimizing profitability 4. Transplant center initiatives to increase organ donation 5. Transplant Data: Analysis, Reporting, and Research

8. Topic Examples • Topic • Writing mitigating factors letter to CMS • Using beta tables • Implementing Episodes of Care product • New Kidney Allocation System • Identifying resources for benchmarking • Conducting a Root Cause Analysis • Differentiating RCA from M & M

9. Measurable Goals • Use action verbs • List • Identify • Describe • Demonstrate • Evaluate • Analyze • Avoid verbs that cannot be measured • Understand • Learn

10. Identify steps in developing a winning abstract • 4. Determine format for submission • Paper submission • Electronic Submission • Note the word/page limit (must be concise) • 5. Prepare, revise based on identified space limitations • Put something on paper! • 6. Obtain feedback from a colleague

11. How do I select a good title for my abstract? • Consider the audience • Make the title enticing • Avoid jargon • Choose terms that will be clear to a wide audience • Ensure the title reflects a description of the project/abstract

12. Title Examples • Staying Competitive in a Quality-Based Market: Effective Use of SRTR Data for Your Transplant Program • Waitlist Management Best Practices • CUSUM and You: How to Incorporate Continuous Outcomes Monitoring into Transplant QAPI • Getting Focused on QAPI-Preparing for the New CMS Survey

13. What is the appropriate Format for an Abstract Informative/practice Title Introduction Problem or purpose Background Information about the problem Methods Instruments Population/sample Procedure Results Conclusion Implications for practice References Title Introduction Purpose/problem Topic being debated or causing a problem in the profession Information about the problem or purpose of your abstract Note any gaps in the literature on topic Methods/ Procedure to fill in the gap Results Conclusions Implications for practice Research

14. How do I describe my objective/problem? • Main objective or problem should be stated in the first few sentences of abstract • Why did you want to do this project? • Explain rational or motivation for pursuing the project

15. How do I describe the methods section of an abstract? • Describe what you did • Explain how you solved the problem or how you explored the issues identified in your objective • Describe the process/steps

16. How do I describe the results? • What did you learn? Find? • List your outcomes or results • If the project is still active, provide preliminary results • Use past tense to describe results

17. How should I describe my conclusions? • Be careful not to make broad generalizations • Identify implications for practice based on what you learned • Results, implications should convince readers to attend your session or visit your poster

18. What determines an effective abstract • Follows guidelines and format • Innovative • Best Practice • Concise description that is coherent, well organized, well written • Provides logical flow • Spelling, grammar • Is of interest to a wide audience

19. How do I ensure the abstract is effective? • Re-read the report/abstract • Ensure it follows prescribed format • Avoid superfluous information • Implications for practice are keys • Eliminate wordiness • Correct grammar and spelling • Have a colleague review it and provide feedback

20. What should I avoid in preparing an abstract? • Redundancy • Boring • Obscure abbreviations, acronyms • Presenting incomplete projects • Results will be analyzed

21. Reviewing the Abstract • Review problem and results/ conclusions • Ensure they reflect one another • Remove extra words and phrases. • Revise the paragraph so that the abstract conveys only the essential information. • Give the abstract to a colleague (preferably one who is not familiar with your work) and ask him/her whether it makes sense.

22. Finding Time to Write an Abstract A. Aussi

23. Tips for finding time to write • Establish weekly meeting times for working on abstract. • Write out the problem or purpose • Work with an experienced colleague • Assign sections • If you miss a meeting reschedule right away • Skype, phone, email • Establish time lines with abstract deadline • Problem statement by…. • Review of the literature by • Who is assigned to various parts of review

24. Tips for finding time to write • Adhere to Pareto principle or 80-20 rule • 20% of your time generates 80% of results • 80% of your accomplishments are a result of 20 % of your efforts • “the secret of achieving more with less” • Richard Koch www.the8020principle.com • Work less, worry less, succeed more • Thus, focus on the 20% • Recognize your strongest qualities, abilities, accentuate positive qualities • Master great habits • Avoid negative people

25. Tips for finding time to write • Bribe yourself! • Cadbury chocolate+diet coke+ Mozart= Productive Linda • Make this a priority using the abstract deadline • Put abstract on your Outlook calendar every day until the deadline. • Simplify your life while writing the abstract • Assign busy work to staff • Slow down and focus!!

26. Fear of Rejection Peer review process for abstracts

27. Discuss 3 steps in obtaining courage to write an abstract Review the guidelines and request clarifications Get rid of a blank paper Work with an experienced colleague

28. Steps to finding courage to write an abstract • Select a topic for which you have passion • Write something down….do NOT have a blank piece of paper • Select a colleague • Expertise on your topic • Experience writing • Experience with abstracts • Remember that you are sharing your knowledge with those of us who want it!!

29. Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear. Mark Twain

30. Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere. Start by getting something—anything—down on paper. Anne Lamott Operating Instructions: A Journal Of My Son’s First Year

31. A great deal of talent is lost to the world for want of a little courage Sidney Smith

32. TMF 2015 Abstracts

33. TMF 2015 Deadlines

34. Award Categories 2015 • 1. Cost reduction/Increase in work efficiency/Patient Care Safety Programs • 2. Quality assurance/Improvement/Transplant pharmacoeconomics • 3. Revenue management/Optimizing profitability • 4. Transplant center initiatives to increase organ donation • 5. Transplant Data: Analysis, Reporting, and Research

35. Format 2015 • Title page • The award category that is being requested • The title of the abstract • ALL CAPS • Your complete mailing address, E-mail address • Work and home phone numbers • Page Limit • 2 typed pages, word with 12 point font • Includes tables, graphs, charts that demonstrate • Problem/situation • Method/approach to solving the problem • Findings/Conclusions • Implications for practice

36. Format 2015 • Keep Anonymous (think HIPAA!!) • No mention of names, facility, city or state • Blinded to facility, authors, reviewers. • Use standard abbreviations • Unusual abbreviations, write out first with abbreviation in parenthesis…then use abbreviation • Use generic names for drugs • Do not begin a sentence with a numeral.

37. Last Page • Skip a few lines after your conclusion, implications for practice • Name of each author, add degrees • Underline primary author’s name

38. Analyze an Accepted Abstract

39. Abstract Scoring • Is the topic important to the category selected? • Is the problem or situation clearly described? • Are the methods/practices/interventions described and are they appropriate? • Is there a logical flow? • Are spelling and grammar correct • Are the outcomes reported and are they appropriate to the methods? • Are the implications/relevance of the findings/solutions stated? • Would the implications/relevance be useful at other transplant programs? • Have the instructions been followed?

40. Title • IMPROVING ORGANIZATIONAL EFFICIENCY THROUGH CENTRALIZED AND STANDARDIZED DATA MANAGEMENT √ All caps √ Within recommended category increasing work efficiency

41. Is the problem or situation clearly described?

42. Purpose/Problem • Purpose/ Problem: While this center has had a database that is shared by all the transplant programs for years, data entry functions and processes were anything but consistent. Frustration was high both on the data input side and on the output side. Completeness, accuracy and timeliness of providing data were always an issue. This center has committed a dedicated team to standardized data management across all transplant programs

43. Purpose/Problem • Kept center anonymous • Described the problem • Inconsistent data entry functions

44. Are the methods/practices/interventions described and are they appropriate?

45. Methods • Identified a dedicated team to data collection • Reviewed data collection requirements • TIEDI • Research • Administrative • Education • Eliminated redundancies • Developed a cross training program • Communicated with administration

46. Are the outcomes reported and are they appropriate to the methods? • Marked improvement on data completeness, accuracy and timeliness • Standardized data definitions were developed • A central point for UNOS inquiries and data clean up requests • Decreased employee frustration and confusion related to data

47. Are the outcomes reported and are they appropriate to the methods? • Concurrent TIEDI forms compliance • Concurrent candidacy and related metric dashboards • Daily monitoring of CMS and UNOS compliance • Prompt response to 3rd party and internal data request • Relief to the clinical staff from the tedious work of data entry • Consistent database resource and education to the clinical and administrative staff • A richer data source for research

48. Are the implications/relevance of the findings/solutions stated? • Improved organizational efficiency • Decreased staff frustration • Data readily available for audits

49. Would the implications/relevance be useful at other transplant programs? • Compliance issues • CMS • UNOS • Improved data entry • UNOS • SRTR

50. Format Summary • Avoid • names of companies, facilities, patients, authors in title or in body of abstract • Cities, centers or states • Starting sentences with numerals • Trade names of drugs