As program chair for HM15’s scientific abstract competition—also known as the Research, Innovations, and Clinical Vignettes (RIV) competition—Margaret Fang, MD, MPH, can’t help but think of the future.
RIV is “a chance to hear cutting-edge research or developments in the field, and to look around and say, ‘This is what’s going to show up in your medical journals in a couple of months or next year,’” says Dr. Fang, a hospitalist, researcher, and medical director at the University of California San Francisco. “Sort of like ‘breaking news.’”
This year, the RIV committee encouraged submissions to focus on “the patient experience” and will highlight some of these abstracts as part of the meeting theme, Dr. Fang says. The approach seems to have worked, as a record 1,297 abstracts were submitted for HM15. That figure eclipsed last year’s record high of 1,132 and is double the 634 abstracts submitted for HM10, according to SHM.
“As more and more hospitalists engage in quality improvement and research, I think there’s a big interest in showcasing their efforts and their scholarly works,” Dr. Fang says. “One of the really exciting things about seeing the number of submissions rise year after year is that this not only showcases a breadth of talent in hospital medicine, but also [shows] the engagement and degree of interest in innovations, clinical vignettes, and research.”
As well it should be, says assistant course director Melissa Mattison, MD, FACP, SFHM.
“It’s a really nice opportunity to see firsthand what others are doing and creative ways to address common problems [for] clinical situations. Sometimes they are somewhat unique, but at the same time there are learning points that we can all benefit from,” she adds. “It’s a great opportunity to see good stuff that people are doing all across the country.”
One of the really exciting things about seeing the number of submissions rise year after year is that this not only showcases
a breadth of talent in hospital medicine, but also [shows] the engagement and degree of interest in innovations, clinical vignettes, and research. —Dr. Fang
In line with Dr. Fang’s point of “breaking news,” this year’s RIV is adding a new feature called “You Heard It Here First,” which will highlight abstracts that were first presented at recent SHM meetings and subsequently were published in noteworthy medical journals. Dr. Fang is proud of the fact that so many abstracts made for colleagues at HM’s annual meeting go on to be important data points for healthcare as a whole.
“The annual meeting is a great venue for that, and RIV especially connects a lot of people who might not have otherwise come into contact with each other,” Dr. Fang says. “During the poster session, we have on-site judges who are groups of senior mentors who go around and get to learn about some of the projects that the presenters are working on. In addition, just the foot traffic, the mingling—you really get to see this fantastic mosaic of what’s going on in the world of hospital medicine.”
Richard Quinn is a freelance writer in New Jersey.