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WOCN caught up with the WOCNext 2022 conference Abstract Chair, Carole Bauer, MSN, RN, ANP-BC, OCN, CWOCN, to get her expertise on how to successfully submit an abstract!
WOCNext® 2022: A Global Education Event from WOCN® and WCET® is a hybrid, experiential event featuring both online and in-person education, networking, and activities geared towards WOC nurses and other healthcare professionals dedicated to providing expert care to patients with wound, ostomy, and continence care needs around the world.
For additional information and to submit an abstract, visit wocnext.org/abstracts.
What is one new thing about the abstract process this year?
WOCNext® 2022 will be a joint event with WOCN and the World Council of Enterostomal Therapists (WCET®), which will allow us to have the honor of including some of our international colleagues in the abstract submission and scoring process. We will also have the great pleasure of seeing work from across the world once posters are developed.
Will authors need to attend WOCNext 2022 in person to submit an abstract?
NO! They will need to attend the event but since this will be a hybrid event taking place both online and in-person, an author may choose to attend virtually or in person.
What should individuals know about the Abstracts process this year?
Once again, all posters will be presented in an electronic poster (ePoster) format for WOCNext 2022. At the time of poster acceptance, authors will have an opportunity to declare their intent to display their work in a traditional paper poster format in addition to the ePoster format. If an author chooses to display their work as a paper poster within the in-person poster hall, there will be a timeframe when the author will be available by their poster for attendees to interact with the author. Attendees will have the ability to view all the ePosters for a few weeks before and after the conference, many of which will be available for contact hours.
We are continuing with our formatting requests from the previous year. Each type of abstract has specific sections that must be included, which are listed in the directions. By formatting your abstract to fit these specific categories you can increase the likelihood that your abstract will be accepted.
- For Case Studies, each abstract should include the following sections: Statement of the Clinical Problem/Challenge, Significance to Practice including Past management, Solution/Clinical Treatment Approach, and Outcomes and Conclusions.
- For the Practice Innovation abstracts, each abstract should include the following sections: Topic/Significance to Practice, Purpose of the Innovation/Objectives, and Process/Replication and Outcomes.
- The Research Abstracts should each contain the following 5 sections: Topic, Purpose/Aims/Research Question, Study Design/Method, and Results and Conclusions.
Each abstract will need a minimum of 2 and not more than 5 references. APA format is required for all references.
Are there any additional resources that will be provided as part of the Call for Abstracts process this year?
Several resources are available to authors:
- A mentoring program for those who have an idea for a poster but have never had a successful abstract submission. The mentors will not be connected to the review process but will have had abstracts accepted in the past. To get connected with a mentor, send an email to abstracts@wocn.org.
- A Bite Sized Learning course on the abstract submission process is hosted in the WOCN Society’s Continuing Education Center (CEC).
- A PowerPoint has been created to reflect the new changes that cover everything you need to know about submitting your abstract.
In your opinion, what makes a successful abstract?
A successful abstract is one that has a topic which the author(s) are passionate about and for which they have read and followed the directions! Probably the greatest problem people have is not reading and following the directions.
Do you have any top tips for individuals interested in submitting an abstract this year?
Read and follow the directions! Once you understand the directions, tell your story clearly and concisely. Your goal is for someone else to read and understand your work and be able to replicate it in their practice setting. It is important to remember that each abstract is blindly reviewed. You do not know the background of the person reviewing your abstract so you want to be sure that after reading your abstract they are excited about what you have to say, and that they will be able to replicate your work in their setting. If the abstract is not clear, there is a greater likelihood that the abstract will be rejected.
Why is it important for individuals to share their outcomes/abstracts?
Abstracts, in my mind, are “cutting edge” information. They are about the real-life things we all experience as WOC and ET nurses and healthcare professionals. They lead us to bigger ideas and expand our horizons on how to expand our practice and our body of evidence.
What important information should authors know once their abstract is accepted for a poster presentation?
All posters will be presented in a digital ePoster format AND those with accepted abstracts can elect to present their work in a traditional paper poster within the in-person poster hall. In the ePoster format, authors can enhance their posters with audio and visual recordings.
What can you tell me about the optional audio/visual portions of the posters?
After acceptance of the abstract, each author will have the opportunity to record a short video briefly describing their work and anything they think was important that was not included on the actual poster. This can be done and is hosted directly in the ePoster platform. This might include what you would tell someone who was looking at your poster in the in-person poster hall, but since some of your poster viewers are virtual, you may not have the opportunity to interact with them. There is also an opportunity to highlight different sections of your poster using the tools provided. I have found last year when I viewed the posters, I really enjoyed the posters where the author did a brief recording or even just highlighted sections of their poster. I think authors should begin thinking now about how they would execute this for their posters.
For additional information and to submit an abstract, visit wocnext.org/abstracts.