2022 Patient Safety & Quality Poster Competition

The District of Columbia Hospital Association works to advance hospitals and health systems in the District by promoting policies and initiatives that strengthens our system of care.

Patient Safety & Quality Poster Competition is CLOSED

The Patient Safety & Quality Poster Competition is organized to encourage hospitals and health care providers to present their original, quality improvement work. All abstracts will be showcased during the Fifth Annual Patient Safety & Quality Summit on June 8, 2022. Winning abstracts will be selected to present during breakout sessions. The purpose of the competition is to stimulate systematic investigation by medical professionals, provide a venue to share innovative and effective educational programs, showcase unique community projects, and encourage networking among medical peers with similar interests.

Poster Details

A poster is a visual guide that summarizes information or systematic investigation concisely and attractively to help publicize it and generate discussion. The poster is typically a mixture of a brief text with tables, graphs, pictures, and other presentation formats.

The poster must be submitted as a PDF.
Recommended size is 36 in x 24 in for printing.
Typical word count of about 300 to 800 words.
Should be readable from about 10 feet away.
The poster should guide the viewer visually through the project.

Topic (projects may fall in one or more category; choose category that best fits project if applies to multiple)

Staffing or Operational Support
- Posters in this category demonstrate best practices in areas such as recruitment, retention, organizational excellence, hiring, employee relations, performance management, and accountability.
Innovation
- Posters in this category address innovative solutions that support clinical effectiveness, safety or patient safety, population health, care coordination/transitions of care, service excellence, and community outreach.
Rising to the Challenge
- Posters in this category demonstrate how quality improvement methodology was implemented to address challenging situations and support patient safety and health care quality.
Supporting Resiliency
- Posters in this category represent projects that support staff mental and physical well-being, improve staff or patient safety, demonstrate overcoming adversity, strengthen staff morale, and address burnout and moral fatigue.

Abstract Instructions

The abstract is a stand-alone summary that clearly and succinctly conveys the essential information of a project or study. For this abstract the focus is to be on a quality or safety topic listed above that uses a performance improvement methodology.

The abstract is not to exceed two pages.
Use single spacing throughout and indent the paragraphs.
Use a 10-point Arial font with one-inch margins.
Do not give references in the abstract.
Clarity of expression will be considered.
If using abbreviations, place them in parentheses after the full word the first time it appears.
Use the following naming convention when submitting your abstract: Facility Abbreviation_2022_title or topic of project_date; Example: DCHA_2022_Safety Standards_4-1-22.
Abstracts should not include endorsements, sponsors, brand names or bias toward a product or service.

Judging Criteria

Innovation and Replicability
- Use of innovative techniques
- Ability to be adopted by others
Performance Improvement
- Identification and improvement of processes or outcomes
- Use of performance improvement methodologies [e.g. PDCA, lean, six sigma]
Demonstrated Impact
- Measurable improvement to patient safety or quality
- Addresses positive outcome or lessons learned
Graphic Display of Data
- Creative use of visual data (fonts, headings, colors, and white space)
- Tables and graphics clearly tell a story or inform the viewer
Teams will not be evaluated by reviewers from their own hospital.
All scores are final and confidential. DCHA does not provide individual feedback from reviewers or release the identity of the review group.

Submission Checklist & Other Information

All submissions must include: completed abstract form and brief bios and CVs for all team members and leaders of group.
Teams must submit all required materials for their presentations to be considered for continuing education credits.
All materials must be submitted at the same time. Submit Here.
Encore presentations from the past six months are welcome but should note it is an encore presentation on the abstract.
Hospitals may submit any number of abstracts, however, only three submissions per hospital will be eligible for judging and cash awards.
Submissions who are chosen to present will be required to submit their PPT presentation by May 9, 2022.
If submitting as part of a team, only one member will receive complimentary entry to the Summit, any other members wishing to attend should register separately.
Teams are responsible for printing and bringing their poster to the venue on June 8.

Visuals & Text

If possible, present numerical data in the form of graphs, rather than tables (graphs make trends in the data much more evident). If data must be presented in table form, keep it simple.
Visuals should be simple and bold.
Avoid acronyms and extensive mathematical notations as much as possible.
Posters with 800 words or less are perfect. Avoid submitting compactly packed, high word-count posters.
Use bright colors to enhance the detail.
Avoid red and green difficult for vision impaired
Besides your project, the text could also include future research plans or questions.

Dates to Remember

March 15, 2022: Submission deadline
May 2, 2022: Recommended printing deadline
May 9, 2022: Presentations due for those selected to present during breakout sessions
June 8, 2022: DCHA’s Patient Safety and Quality Summit