257 - American Heart Association Abstracts to Manuscripts—Barriers to Publication

Abstract

Background: National conferences serve as an important platform to inform physicians of emerging research but the most effective method for researchers to disseminate their findings is through publications in a peer reviewed journal. Studies have shown that the proportion of abstracts presented at national conferences that eventually get published is low. Aim: We aimed to determine the number of heart failure abstracts presented at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2010 that were published by February 2017. In addition, we hoped to identify the determinants of successful publication in a peer-reviewed journal and analyze reasons for failure. Methods: In this pilot study, we collected data on study design, demographics of first and senior authors of the first 584 heart failure abstracts that were accepted to the AHA Scientific Sessions 2010 meeting. We determined the proportion of these abstracts published by February 2017, gender of first and senior authors, and whether studies that were published had different conclusions, results or number of study participants compared to the original abstracts. Results: Of the 584 abstracts reviewed, 266 (45.54%) were published as articles in peer reviewed journals within 7 years of presentation at the conference. In total, 10.68% of senior authors and 27.11% of first authors were female. However, 53.44% of female senior authors published manuscripts of their abstracts compared to 45.15% of male senior authors (P = .23). Similarly, 44.8% of female first authors converted abstracts to manuscripts in comparison to 45.83% of male first authors (P = .80). Among the 266 abstracts that were eventually published as full manuscripts, 60(22.55%) articles reported a different sample size, 178 (66.91%) articles reported different results, and 8(3%) articles published with different conclusions, when compared to their original abstracts. Conclusions: Less than 50% of abstracts presented at the AHA Scientific Sessions 2010 were published as full manuscripts, in over six years since the conference. There was no significant difference in the proportion of first and senior authors of both genders who published abstracts into articles, although in total, far more authors were males. With many studies reporting different sample sizes, results and conclusions compared to the original abstracts, data presented at the abstract stage are likely to be incomplete. It may be premature to use data from abstracts in systematic reviews or secondary analyses. Further analysis is needed to determine the more prevalent barriers so that supportive interventions can be performed to increase successful completion and dissemination of research.