AMIA is multi-disciplinary and interprofessional. We have the best of all worlds when it comes to soliciting and presenting the very best in informatics science and practice. In the rapidly moving world of health and healthcare, informatics innovation is integral to progress. No meeting captures the breadth and depth of informatics better than the AMIA Annual Symposium.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: MARCH 10, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time – No exceptions.

IMPORTANT! Submissions that do not meet the following requirements may be rejected without review: READ the submission guidelines and follow the sample format.

• Keywords
• Presentation Types
• Program Themes

Maintenance of Certification (MOC)

If your submission is accepted, AMIA will request that you write multiple choice questions (MCQ) to allow us to provide MOC-II credit for your session. The multiple choice question with a referenced explanation for the correct answer is the hallmark of MOC-II credit. Number of questions required per submission type:

• Papers: 2 MCQs
• Panels: 5 MCQs
• System Demonstrations: 3 MCQs
• 3-hour Tutorials: 10 MCQs
• 6-hour Tutorials: 20 MCQs

How to Write Good MCQs

Learn more about how to write good multiple choice questions (by permission, Jannette Collins)
Tutorial from the National Board of Medical Examiners

Submission Process

All submissions must be made through the ScholarOne submission site. Complete the online submission form as instructed and attach your submission in compliance with directions provided.

THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS MARCH 10, 2016, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time

IMPORTANT! All information in the Onsite Program and in the Mobile Event App – presentation title, author names, author affiliations, and the order in which the authors are listed – is extracted directly from the online form authors complete in ScholarOne. Therefore, please enter everything exactly the way you would like it to appear.

Learning Objectives (LO)

Each submission at the AMIA 2016 Annual Symposium, regardless of the type, will require at least one learning objective as part of the ScholarOne submission. You may add additional learning objectives if you believe they are appropriate.

AMIA is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education to physicians. As an accredited provider, AMIA must design our activities to inspire change in physicians. That change may be a difference in knowledge/competence, performance, or in patient outcomes. Educational design in this environment includes creating “outcomes-based learning objectives.” Creators of content should ask themselves, “What do I want the learner to be able to do, or to do better, after participating in my session?”

To write a good learning objective, define the desired outcome of your presentation. Perform a needs assessment: what knowledge gap is your presentation going to fill? Then write the LO to address the gap you just identified.

Examples of well-written learning objectives:

After participating in this session, the learner should be better able to:

• Reduce clinical “alarm fatigue” in the general medical-surgical unit by determining variables that may safely reduce noncritical telemetry and monitor alarms
• Formulate an approach to adoption of health information technology for the small physician group practice [From the AMA]
• Evaluate healthcare information systems, involving: how to collect/store confidential medical records, describe complex relationships between database fields, and query databases to produce the desired information [From the AMA]

Examples of poorly-written learning objectives:

After participating in this session, the learner should be better able to:

• Define the healthcare protocol for the treatment and prevention of Stage III and IV pressure ulcers and apply to your own practice [Too many verbs; can break it into: 1) Define the healthcare protocol for the treatment of Stage III and IV pressure ulcers; 2) Define the healthcare protocol for the prevention of Stage III and IV pressure ulcers; and 3) Apply this knowledge to their own practice. From the Colorado Foundation for Medical Care]
• Explain and discuss current initiatives and effective modalities to prevent incidence of complications such as infection or wrong-sided block. [This is a teaching objective. A learning objective on the same topic would be: “Prevent incidence of complications such as infection or wrong-sided block using current initiatives and effective modalities.” [From Winthrop University Hospital]
• Become familiar with common eye problems. [The outcome is not measurable, there is no action the learner can take, and there is no context regarding the patient’s condition. Better LO: Screen for eye conditions commonly associated with type 2 diabetes. [From the AAFP]

Additional resource:

Guide to Writing Objectives for Continuing Medical Education, from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine: http://casemed.case.edu/cme/documents/learn_obj_jh09-12-05.pdf

File Format Requirements

Your manuscript file, must be in compliance with the requirements listed under each Category of Submission. Papers, posters, and systems demonstrations will appear in the AMIA 2016 Annual Symposium Proceedings. Adherence to the following requirements throughout all categories of submission ensures a consistency that facilitates the review process and proceedings.

Please note: Submissions that do not meet the following requirements may be rejected without review:

• File has to be in a PDF format and not exceed the page limit for its category.
• Single column format
• Be certain to adhere to the page length restrictions stated in the category descriptions.
• Format for 8.5 x 11 inch paper size with one inch margins left, right, top, and bottom.
• Place the title in 14 point Times Roman typeface, single column, bold, centered, upper and lower case using initial capitals for each word in the title other than articles and prepositions.
• Include below the title, the names, credentials, institutions and locations of the author(s) or panelists, exactly as they are to appear in the online and print programs and the Proceedings, using 12 point Times Roman typeface, single column, bold, centered, upper and lower case using appropriate capitals.
• Include the main text of the submission single-spaced in 10 point Times New Roman typeface, justified, one-column format.
• Do not number individual pages.
• Do not use all caps, bold, italics or underline unless if it is only for emphasis
• Disable track changes in Word before uploading.
• Follow the format of the template

The format of credentials and other author information appearing in the online and printed materials is subject to revision by the AMIA office. It is the responsibility of the submitting author of each proposal to provide full and accurate information about all authors named.

Note: All information in the Onsite Program and in the Mobile Event App – presentation title, author names, author affiliations, and the order in which the authors are listed – comes directly from the online form authors fill out in ScholarOne. Therefore, please enter everything exactly the way you would like it to appear. AMIA is not responsible for the information listed incorrectly or for any omissions in this step. Any complaints from your co-authors about the way they are listed or why they are not listed will be directly to you.

A person designated as a Presenter will receive all communications from AMIA regarding the submission.

Reference Format

Bibliography and references must follow the Vancouver Style (see: www.icmje.org/index.html). Use the following reference format: Cite all references in the text, tables, or figure legends. In the text, use eight-point superscript if possible to indicate reference numbers; if not possible, use 10 point numbers in square brackets. Under a centered heading “References” at the end of the submission, provide a list of references cited, in order of occurrence in the manuscript, and with titles using initial capital only. References must fit within the allotted page(s). List all authors of any cited work when there are six or fewer authors; if more than six, list only the first three followed by “et al.”

Industry Submissions

Industry-authored and industry-client collaborative papers, abstracts, panels, demonstrations, and posters are welcome for submission as described above. No special submission designation is required. All industry submissions will follow the existing review processes.

Assessment Questions for Accepted Submissions

All presenters of accepted sessions will be required to develop multiple choice questions so that attendees may assess what they learned from your presentation. Upon acceptance of your submission, AMIA will send you a link for the submission of your questions.

The inclusion of multiple choice questions is a requirement for educational activities designed for physician maintenance of certification (MOC). AMIA provides these questions to all attendees as 1) a way for them to review the information you are sharing, and 2) a guide to what you presented for those attendees who were not able to attend your session.

Note that poster presenters are not obligated to create questions to accompany their posters.