Submission Process

The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation invites you to submit your clinical and basic science research findings to be considered for inclusion in the 71st Annual Assembly, November 4-7, 2010 in Seattle, WA. AAPM&R will be accepting abstract submissions for the 71st Annual Assembly online only until March 12, 2010. To submit your abstract, follow these steps.

1. Access the submission Web site by clicking here.
   
   Returning users from last year will have the same account information. Academy members who have not visited the site have been uploaded to the system. Your user ID is your e-mail address and your password is your last name. All new users who are not Academy members and who have never submitted before must create an account by clicking on the left-side menu.
   
   User ID: Your e-mail address
   Password: Your last name
   
   If you do not recall your username or password, use the “forgot your password” option on the left panel.
2. You will be prompted to provide a financial disclosure when you first log in. This is an ACCME requirement and must be completed by the presenting author to be accepted for presentation.
3. Please read the instruction page carefully before beginning submission.
4. Follow each of the steps carefully to submit your abstract or case report.

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Policies and Guidelines

1. All application material must be submitted via the Scholar One Web Site by March 12, 2010, 5 pm CST—no exceptions.
2. Encore Presentations: While AAPM&R continues to emphasize original research and prefers the Annual Assembly be the forum for initial presentation, it recognizes that high-quality research of interest to physiatrists is presented at other scientific meetings. AAPM&R will accept abstracts that have been previously presented at other medical, scientific, and research meetings. Resubmissions will be evaluated on content criteria relevant to the educational and scientific objectives of the Annual Assembly. Previously published material will not be eligible for the President’s Citation Award.
3. Only the primary/presenting author of the abstract will receive e-mail notification of acceptance or rejection. AAPM&R does not communicate with coauthors. It is the responsibility of the primary author to notify the coauthors of acceptance or rejection. Notification will be sent via e-mail by May 2010. Primary/presenting authors must register for the Annual Assembly to present their poster.
4. The Program Planning Committee reserves the right to assign presentation times to suit program needs.
5. Accepted abstracts will be edited for style and format and published in a supplement to PM&R, the Academy’s journal. A maximum of eight authors' names will be included per abstract. The supplement will be distributed at the 2010 Annual Assembly to all attendees.
6. When preparing an abstract, authors are requested to abide by the following guidelines.
   • Authors must identify in the title if the abstract is a case report or case series. Example: Gymnast with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Case Report.
   • Authors may not add new or alter existing subject headings, listed in #4 and #5 below.
   • Authors may not add an introductory passage to precede the Objective. These remarks are more appropriate at presentation.
   • Authors must not submit abstracts that constitute promotion of a product or service (see “Policy on Commercialism” below).
   • Authors may not use tables, graphs, or figures in the abstract.
   • Authors may not list references in the abstract.
   • Authors must spell in full on first introduction of all acronyms or abbreviations used.
   • All numbers should be presented in Arabic numeral form, including numbers from 1 to 10.
   • If you refer to brand name drugs, please provide its generic name.
   • Authors should provide no more than 4 key words. Key word selections must be based on the National Library of Medicine’s Permuted Medical Subject Headings, which is available at www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/MBrowser.html.
   • We request that non-fluent English speakers have their abstracts edited prior to submission by a proficient English speaker.

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Procedures

1. Presenters of accepted abstracts are expected to register and pay appropriate registration fees for at least the day of the presentation. No reimbursement or honoraria will be given for paper or poster presentations.
2. Abstracts are to be no more than 300 words (not including title or author block).
3. All research abstracts must include the following:
   • Objective
   • Design
   • Setting (do not list formal institutional name)
   • Participants
   • Interventions (If your study does not contain any interventions, then insert: “Interventions: Not applicable.”)
   • Main Outcome Measures
   • Results
   • Conclusions
   • Key Words (maximum 4 – listed alphabetically). Key words MUST be selected from the US National Library of Medicine's (NLM) Permuted Medical Subject Headings, which is available at www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/MBrowser.html.
4. Abstracts submitted as a case report or program description must include the following:
   • Setting (do not list formal institutional name)
   • Patient OR Program
   • Case Description OR Program Description
   • Assessment/Results
   • Discussion (relevance)
   • Conclusions
   • Key Words (maximum 4 – listed alphabetically). Key words MUST be selected from the US National Library of Medicine's (NLM) Permuted Medical Subject Headings, which is available at www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/MBrowser.html.
5. Independent peer reviewers will evaluate each abstract based on the components of the structured abstract.

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Commercialism and Disclosure Statements

1. Presentations that constitute promotion or advertising will be rejected. Pervasive or inappropriate use of commercial names is not allowed. Generic names create a sense of impartiality that are the accepted standard of practice in submitting scientific abstracts and are strongly encouraged. No advertising matter of any description may be distributed nor may any material be displayed that directly promotes the commercial interest of any particular company, enterprise or the author(s).
2. Presenters must disclose any relevant financial interest in, relationship with, or support from, manufacturers of any commercial product(s).
3. Presenters must disclose the FDA clearance status of medical devices and pharmaceuticals for the uses discussed or described in the presentation. "Off label" uses of a device or pharmaceutical may be described in the presentation as long as the lack of FDA clearance for this is also disclosed.
4. Statements made in presentations are the sole responsibility of the author(s). Statements should not be viewed as, or representative of, any formal stance or position taken on any product, subject, or issue by the Academy or Elsevier.
5. To be considered for any Category 1 CME designated activities at the 71st Annual Assembly (i.e. Scientific Paper Presentations, Poster Grand Rounds), presenting authors must be medical professionals, MD or MD-equivalent, who are not employed by a pharmaceutical or device-manufacturing company.

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Definitions

Paper Presentation: A 10-minute oral presentation of the methodology, results, and conclusions of completed studies followed by a 5-minute question-and-answer period. Completed experimental studies or well-controlled epidemiologic studies may be presented in this forum.

Poster Presentation: A visual presentation that provides a forum for in-depth discussion of the objectives and methods of research in progress. Completed experimental studies, well-controlled epidemiologic studies, non-experimental studies, including case studies may be presented in this forum.

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Example of Structured Abstract

New Wheelie Aid for Wheelchairs: Controlled Trial of Safety and Efficacy. R. Lee Kirby, MD (Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Center, Halifax NS), Judy Lugar, BSc, Catharine Breckenridge, BEng.

Disclosure: None.

Objective: To test hypotheses that people learning to perform aided wheelies (AW) with a new self-deploying wheelie aid (WA) are safer than those using the conventional wheelie (CW), are more successful at learning the skills, learn more quickly, and find such skills less difficult. Design: Randomized, controlled study. Setting: Wheelchair obstacle course. Participants: 42 subjects randomly assigned to the CW (n=23) or AW (n=19) groups. Interventions: We performed static tests on a WA-modified wheelchair occupied by a test dummy, and attempted to teach each subject to perform a set of 14 wheelie-related skills. Main Outcome Measures: Visual analog scale (VAS) of safety, percentage of subjects able to learn the skills, the time required, and subjective difficulty scores (from 1 for “very easy” to 5 for “very difficult”). Results: Up to 11º of antitip-device stability was available without the WA extending beyond the rearmost aspect of the rear wheel in the resting position. For the CW and AW groups, the mean ± standard deviation VAS safety scores were 43%±27% and 98%±2% (P<.0001), respectively; the overall success rates were 93% and 96% (P=.079), respectively; the mean times required to learn a skill (in 5-min increments) were 1.56±1.08 minutes and 0.72±35 minutes (P=.002), respectively; and the mean difficulty scores were 2.94±.38 and 2.23±.34 (P<.0001), respectively. Conclusions: The WA provides stability and wheelie-like function without interfering with maneuverability. Although both groups were equally successful, learning to perform AW is safer, faster, and less difficult than learning CWs. Key Words: Rehabilitation; Safety; Wheelchairs.

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Example of a Case Report

Systemic Weakness After Botulinum Toxin Type A Injections in a Child With Cerebral Palsy: A Case Report. Mary A. McMahon, MD (Cincinnati Child Hosp Med Ctr/Univ Cincinnati Coll Med, Cincinnati, OH).

Disclosure: None.

Setting: Tertiary care pediatric hospital. Patient: A 15-month-old boy with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy (CP). Case Description: The patient received botulinum toxin type A (Botox) injections secondary to increasing plantarflexion tone and an inability to tolerate ankle-foot orthoses. The botulinum toxin was reconstituted with 0.9% normal saline to a concentration of 10U/0.1cc. A total of 100U (11.5U/kg) were equally divided among 4 sites in each gastrocnemius muscle. Aspiration was done prior to each injection. On days 2 and 3 postinjection, he had decreasing tone in his upper extremities. On day 4, he presented with diffuse weakness, including loss of head control and poor feeding. His history was otherwise unremarkable, and his exam was notable only for diffusely decreased tone and weakness with tachypnea. Lung exam and chest x-ray were within normal limits and his oxygen saturation was 100%. He was admitted for intravenous fluids and close observation. He was observed for 48 hours, during which his strength and tone had a fluctuating pattern of improvement. At discharge, he had regained head control and his oral intake was at baseline. Assessment/Results: At 6 weeks postinjections, the patient continued to demonstrate decreased tone in all 4 extremities. His therapist noted improved postural control and use of his upper extremities after the injections. His sleeping and eating both significantly improved. Further developments will be discussed. Discussion: This is the first reported case, to our knowledge, of generalized weakness following botulinum toxin injections given at what is commonly considered to be a standard dose for children with CP. Conclusion: Serious idiosyncratic reactions to botulinum toxin type A are possible despite using doses that are considered safe in children. Key Words: Botulinum toxin type A; Pediatrics; Rehabilitation.

Questions regarding abstract submissions? E-mail info@aapmr.org.

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