The American College of Surgeons has issued a call for abstracts to be presented at its 2019 Quality and Safety Conference, July 19-22, at the Walter E Washington Convention Center, in Washington D.C. The deadline for submitting abstracts is February 1, 2019. Individuals at participating sites are encouraged to submit a 250-word abstract for poster and/or podium presentation. The abstract should relate to surgical quality improvement initiatives including the development, implementation, or validation of best practices within one or more of the following ACS Quality Programs:

• ACS NSQIP
• ACS Children’s Surgery Verification, as well as NSQIP Pediatric
• Cancer Programs, including CoC and NAPBC
• Geriatric Surgery
• MBSAQIP
• Trauma Quality Programs

Abstracts will undergo a peer review process that will focus on the following criteria:

• Quality and originality of the work
• Significance and applicability to improving surgical care
• Relevance to quality improvement and best practices
• Completed research
• Clarity of writing
• Primary author's availability to attend the conference

Upcoming Deadlines:

• February 1, 2019: Abstract submissions close
• May 1, 2019: Acceptance notices sent

Instructions and Guidelines:

All healthcare professionals including surgeons, nurses, residents, trainees, operational experts, and leadership affiliated with the aforementioned ACS Quality Programs are invited to submit a 250-word abstract to be considered for podium and/or poster presentation. There is an option to request a poster presentation only. The primary author is expected to present his or her work at the conference if the abstract is accepted. Unfortunately we are unable to accommodate co-presenters.

Please note that abstracts which have been submitted or recently presented at other meetings are eligible for presentation at the ACS Quality and Safety Conference. In the view of ACS, previous presentation of a paper does not prohibit the presentation or publication of the material at the Quality and Safety Conference.

There is no limit for abstract submissions per primary author and/or co-author. Abstract acceptance is conditional upon registration and payment of applicable registration fees. Mandatory poster and presentation slide templates and guidelines will be sent after acceptance.

Only two images (including tables) may be embedded per abstract. Only one table attachment per abstract may be submitted. Files must be in .jpg or .png format. Other file types will not be accepted.

Abstract Competitions:

• Best Trainee Abstract Competition - This competition is open to all medical students, and medical or surgical trainees.

  Presenting an abstract at the 2019 ACS Quality and Safety Conference is one way to demonstrate the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's (ACGME's) Scholarly Activity program requirement. In order to fulfill this requirement, you do not have to be the primary author; however the abstract you are working on must be selected for presentation.

• Best Registrar Abstract Competition - This competition is open to all Registrars, Surgical Clinical Reviewers (SCRs), and Metabolic and Bariatric Surgical Clinical Reviewer (MBSCRs), also known as the data abstractors for the programs. These submissions can include quality improvement efforts that were initiated based on programmatic data or those implemented to improve the efficiency of how you use the program at your hospital. We are also interested in operational best practices relating to workflows around collecting data and reporting. Highlight your best practices so others may learn from your experience.
• Best NSQIP Adult Abstract Competition - This competition is open to all NSQIP Adult submissions.
• Best NSQIP Pediatrics Abstract Competition - This competition is open to all NSQIP Pediatrics submissions.
• Best Cancer Abstract Competition - This competition is open to all Cancer submissions.
• Best Geriatrics Abstract Competition - This competition is open to all Geriatrics submissions.
• Best MBSAQIP Abstract Competition - This competition is open to all MBSAQIP submissions.
• Best Trauma Abstract Competition - This competition is open to all Trauma submissions.
• Best Quality Abstract Competition - This competition is open to all abstracts related to patient care.
  
  Please note that the primary authors of the abstract(s) selected for the competitions will also be invited to submit full manuscripts to undergo preliminary peer review and possible featured publication in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS).

  Winners of the above mentioned competitions will be notified prior to the conference. Only primary authors will be considered.

• Abstract Poster Competition - All posters will automatically be entered into this competition. The winning poster will be voted on by conference attendees and announced onsite.

Abstract Submission Categories:

• ACS NSQIP Adult Quality Improvement
• ACS NSQIP Adult Research
• ACS NSQIP Pediatric / Children’s Surgery Verification Quality Improvement
• ACS NSQIP Pediatric /Children’s Surgery Verification Research
• CoC Quality Improvement
• CoC Research
• Geriatric Surgery
• MBSAQIP Quality Improvement
• MBSAQIP Research
• NAPBC Quality Improvement
• NAPBC Research
• Trauma Quality Improvement
• Trauma Research
• Surgical Potpourri

Abstract submission and award categories are subject to change at the College’s discretion.

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