Fate of abstracts from American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery Annual Meetings.

Abstract

The American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS) Annual Meeting provides a unique platform for the dissemination of research in laser and energy-based technologies, which are regularly utilized in cosmetic dermatology. We sought to elucidate the fate of the abstracts presented at ASLMS meetings over 3years. We conducted a literature search for all abstracts presented at ASLMS meetings in 2013, 2014, and 2015 to determine publication rate, latency to publication, and journals of publication. The publication rate of abstracts presented at the 2013, 2014, and 2015 ASLMS meetings was 50.3%, 49.1%, and 43.5%, respectively. Average latency to publication was 16.1months across these three years. Publication outcomes differed across general discipline, abstract type, poster category, clinical focus, and study design. Our findings provide insight into the likelihood of publication, as well as potential contributing factors, for abstracts presented at ASLMS. With about half of all abstracts reaching publication, our study highlights the significant volume of research presented at this unique meeting that does not reach a broader audience through publication and thus is limited in its potential clinical applications in cosmetic dermatology.