EXTENDED Abstract Submission Deadline: November 16, 2008 by Midnight PST

SUGGESTED TOPICS OF INTEREST

Advanced Practice Nursing

• Role implementation
• Development of practice guidelines

Clinical Practice

• Guidelines for a specific clinical situation
• Implementation of a process to improve patient outcomes
• Innovative use of technology in clinical practice

Performance Improvement (PI)

• Development or implementation of PI program
• Implementation of a regional PI feedback program
• How a PI initiative improved patient care and or the trauma process
• Patient Safety Initiatives
• Patient Satisfaction Improvement Initiatives

Education

• Identification of trauma nursing educational needs
• Development of educational forums/methods to maintain nursing competencies

Nursing Leadership

• Nursing recruitment/retention strategies
• Clinical Advancement Programs
• Trauma Nursing Orientation Programs
• Staffing Initiatives
• Improving the Trauma Nursing Work Environment
• Patient Safety Initiatives
• Trauma Site Survey Readiness/Strategies
• Family-Centered Care in the Trauma Patient

Injury Prevention/ Trauma Outreach

• Program development and implementation
• Methods/system resources to meet community needs
• Development of a regional trauma outreach program
• Collaborative efforts/relationships with community agencies for injury prevention

Pediatric

• Identifying pediatric-specific needs
• Developing pediatric educational curriculum
• Pediatric PI program
• Family-Centered Care in Pediatric Trauma

Disaster Planning

• Readying your trauma center or trauma system for a mass casualty
• Evaluating your disaster plan
• Disaster training for trauma nurses

 At the Annual Conference

• The Oral Abstract Presentations will be the afternoon of Thursday, April 9, 2008.
• Individuals whose abstracts are accepted will receive a $50 reduction in conference registration as an honorarium.  All other expenses are the responsibility of the presenter.  Presenters who have multiple abstracts will be eligible for only one $50 reduction. 
• Poster presentations will be displayed throughout the two day conference.
• All accepted abstracts will be printed in the conference syllabus.
• One abstract from the Research category and one from the Best Practice category will be selected for a gift certificate and award recognition at the conference.

Abstract Selection Process

Abstracts will only be accepted for review until midnight on November 1, 2008.

1. Abstract committee will select abstracts for oral and poster presentation based on compliance with abstract criteria and over all conference curriculum focus.
2. All authors will be notified by letter of abstract acceptance or decline by December 31, 2008.

Abstract Review Criteria

1. Trauma-related subject matter.
2. Abstracts will be distributed to Abstract Committee in blinded author format.
3. If based on project or program, the implementation and outcome phase must be completed.
4. Research abstracts must be original research and not previously published.  Abstract is correctly formatted:  Purpose, Design, Setting, Sample, Methods, Results, and Conclusion.
5. Research abstracts submitted with IRB documents when applicable.
6. Best Practice abstracts must be original and not previously published.  Abstract is correctly formatted:  Topic, implementation, evidence based outcomes, and recommendations. 
7. Abstracts may not have any identifying information in them inclusive of name, hospital, or trauma system.  (If author would like the published copy to include this data, please submit a separated blinded copy with that information removed for the committee review process).
8. Abstracts may be published in the Journal of Trauma Nursing. 

Submission Process

1. Go to www.traumanurses.org and click on Annual Conference – Abstract Guidelines.
2. Download the appropriate abstract form from the STN Web site.
3. Email your abstract form as a word attachment to sclements@traumanurses.org. The file name of the attachment must include the abstract title and main author’s last name. In the body of the e-mail, please include your complete contact information and if the abstract is a blind submittal.
4. Any abstracts received after midnight on November 1, 2008 will not be accepted.

Please note: by submitting this abstract you are acknowledging that one of the listed authors will be available to present the abstract at the STN conference.  You are also confirming when submitting a research abstract that it is an original work that it has not been or is not being considered for publication at another conference or in another publication. 

Format

1. Use font size 12 point, Arial or Times New Roman. 
2. One page in length, margins as designed by form (1.25 side margins 1 inch top & bottom margins) with a limit of 500 words.
3. Abstracts must be submitted with a cover sheet containing the Abstract Title, Author(s), and contact information, running header for all pages.
4.  Abstracts that do not meet the above format requirements will be rejected.

Abstract Presentation being requested: Oral only, Poster only or Either.