Abstract Submission Policies

Content Validation

Fair Balance, Independent Content Validation and Level of Evidence

All recommendations involving clinical medicine in a CME/CE activity must be based on evidence that is accepted within the profession of medicine as adequate justification for their indications and contra-indications in the care of patients. All scientific research referred to, reported, or used in CME in support or justification of a patient care recommendation must conform to the generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection, and analysis.

Off-Label Uses and Limitations of Data

Presenting Authors must make meaningful disclosure to the attendees of a CME/CE activity when products or procedures discussed are off-label, unlabeled, experimental, and/or investigational (not FDA approved), and disclose any limitations on the information presented, such as data that are preliminary or that represent ongoing research, interim analyses, and/or unsupported opinion.

Additional Provisions

Presenting Authors must:

  • Attest that CME/CE activity materials will be HIPPA compliant (i.e. using de-identified patient information when possible);
  • Agree to obtain the necessary copyright permission(s) for any portion of the CME/CE activity materials that are not their original work or for which they do not hold the copyright;
  • Agree to provide meaningful opportunity for questions or scientific debate during any live presentation;
  • Agree to provide additional disclosure information if a financial relationship or interest is indicated.

Disclosure Policy

As an ACCME accredited provider, the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) must collect financial disclosure information from abstract authors in control of educational content about all their financial relationships with ACCME defined ineligible companies within the prior 24 months. There is no minimum financial threshold; individuals must disclose all financial relationships, regardless of the amount, with ineligible companies. Individuals must disclose regardless of their view of the relevance of the relationship to the education.

Disclosure information must include the name of the ineligible company with which the person has a financial relationship and the nature of the financial relationship. Examples of financial relationships include employee, researcher, consultant, advisor, speaker, independent contractor (including contracted research), royalties or patent beneficiary, executive role, and ownership interest. Individual stocks and stock options should be disclosed; diversified mutual funds do not need to be disclosed. Research funding from ineligible companies should be disclosed by the principal or named investigator even if that individual’s institution receives the research grant and manages the funds.

The submitting author must indicate if an ACCME defined ineligible company funded the research study. If so, they must provide the name or names of the ineligible companies. They must also indicate if any of the co-authors are an owner or employee of an ineligible company.

Owners or employees of ineligible companies must be excluded from controlling content or participating as presenters in accredited education. There are three exceptions to this exclusion—employees of ineligible companies can participate as planners or faculty in these specific situations:

  1. When the content of the activity is not related to the business lines or products of their employer/company
  2. When the content of the accredited activity is limited to basic science research, such as preclinical research and drug discovery, or the methodologies of research, and they do not make care recommendations
  3. When they are participating as technicians to teach the safe and proper use of medical devices, and do not recommend whether or when a device is used.

Participants of an accredited activity are required to disclose all personal financial relationships, within the past 24 months, with ineligible companies. Financial relationships are those relationships in which the individual benefits by receiving a salary, royalty, consulting fee, honoraria, ownership interest (e.g., stocks, stock options or other ownership interest), or other financial benefits; and could affect activity content relevant to products or services of that ineligible company. An ACCME-defined ineligible company is an entity whose primary business is producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.

The intent of this policy is to allow for a determination to be made as to whether any relationship may constitute a real or apparent conflict of interest. Disclosure that an activity participant has no relevant financial relationships must also be provided to the learners.