HPCO2024 CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
Hospice Palliative Care Ontario (HPCO) is now accepting submissions for workshop, poster, and oral paper presentations
at our 2024 Annual Conference, June 9 to June 11, 2024
Abstract submissions are now closed
Hospice Palliative Care Ontario (HPCO) is now accepting submissions for workshop, poster, and oral paper presentations for the 2024 Annual Conference.
The conference will be held from Sunday, June 9, to Tuesday, June 11, 2024, followed by the biennial Paediatric Palliative Care Symposium on Wednesday, June 12, 2024
Location: The Sheraton Parkway Toronto North Hotel & Suites in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
The 2024 conference theme is Palliative Care, Everywhere. Building on the 2023 conference theme of Now is the Time, Palliative Care, Everywhere underscores the importance of a palliative approach to care being available in all settings where people die. Whether at home, in hospice, in long-term care, in hospitals, group homes, prisons, shelters, or on the street, palliative care must be available in all settings and for all people. HPCO recognizes the historic inequities in the health care system, including the impact of colonialism and racism on Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour. Eliminating inequities and racism is central to ensuring palliative care is available to all.
Ontario Health has articulated a model of care for community-based palliative care (home and hospice). Models of care for adult palliative care in hospitals and paediatric palliative care in all settings are being developed, and a palliative approach to care has been mandated for long-term care.
Despite the progress we have made, palliative care is still not available everywhere. There are many settings and communities where quality palliative care is simply not yet available. Many people do not have equitable access to quality, integrated, patient-centred, sustainable hospice palliative care services.
HPCO will host thought leaders, service providers, healthcare professionals, health system planners, researchers, policymakers, administrators, front-line practitioners, and volunteers from across the healthcare spectrum for a three-day conference from June 9 to 11, and a post-conference pediatric palliative care symposium on June 12. We will come together to share, debate, learn, and co-create solutions that will ensure equitable palliative care is available everywhere.
We are looking to highlight, inspire, and encourage fresh and innovative approaches to embracing hospice palliative care, with a focus on what we can do now to scale up, spread, and action ideas and impactful initiatives to create the changes we want to see. This is also an opportunity to spotlight the depth and breadth of ideas, unique initiatives, and research in hospice palliative care across Ontario.
This in-person conference attracts over 800 delegates from Ontario representing all professions, roles, and care settings across the continuum of health care.
HPCO encourages submissions that showcase innovations and results in caring for people across multiple settings in our communities, whether urban, rural, remote, First Nations, Inuit, Metis, or Urban Indigenous.
Requirements for Presenting
You are invited to submit abstracts for presentation formats, including workshops, oral papers or posters.
The primary presenter (one person only) MUST register to attend the conference. The primary presenter receives a reduced registration fee of $450 for the three-day conference. Additional presenters who plan to attend and present along with the Primary Presenter must register at the full conference rate.
General Guidelines and Instructions for Abstract Submissions
- Abstract submissions must be submitted online and be directly related to hospice palliative care.
- Abstracts should specify study/program objectives, methods, results, and conclusions.
- A maximum of three (3) abstract submissions will be accepted by a primary author (i.e., author may be a secondary author on additional abstract submissions).
- Abstracts are to be written in English, in clear, concise language, and to be no more than 250 words, using standard abbreviations and keywords. Please DO NOT type in all capitals.
- Include author(s) post-nominal initials, credentials, designations, and other affiliations in the biographic sketch section of the submission process. If your abstract/submission is accepted, we will publish the post-nominal initials, credentials, and designations that you provide. We cannot verify the accuracy of your information, and once published, we will not make changes.
- Authors/presenters whose abstracts have been accepted grant HPCO permission to list their name, affiliations, and abstract in the conference program materials, both in print and online/electronic format.
- The primary presenter/first author of an abstract submission that is accepted must attend the conference and is required to register and pay a reduced registration fee of $450 by March 31, 2024. All additional authors/presenters may register at the regular conference rate. Presentations will be cancelled if the primary presenter registration fee is not received by April 15, 2024.
- Abstract Submissions on the topics of Health Care Consent, Advance Care Planning and Goals of Care will only be considered if the work is compliant with the Ontario legal framework (Health Care Consent Act 1996, Substitute Decisions Act 1992, etc. Please visit the Advance Care Planning Ontario website for more information. If you have any questions, please contact Nav Dhillon at Dhillon@hpco.ca.
Workshop Guidelines
Workshop sessions are one hour and 15 minutes in length. A limited number of spaces are available for more in-depth workshops of 2.5 hours, offered in two consecutive one-hour and 15-minute sessions on the same day. Please specify the length of your workshop on your submission form. Workshop sessions should be interactive, focusing on outcomes, practical implications, and impact on interdisciplinary patient/family-centred care and/or program or service delivery.
Workshop abstracts must include three expected learning outcomes for participants; a comprehensive summary and description of the workshop; learning level (intermediate or advanced); training methods; the intended audience of the workshop and a description of the skills and/or knowledge participants will gain from the workshop and how the knowledge is applicable in their community.
Oral Paper Guidelines
Oral paper presentations must be 15 minutes in length, followed by 5 minutes for discussion.
Oral papers are limited to three presenters per paper during the presentation.
Poster Guidelines
Posters will be displayed throughout the conference. Author(s)/presenter names, degrees, organizational affiliations, city, province/state, and country must be listed as briefly as possible.
Conference Streams
Workshops are categorized by topic streams so conference participants may focus on sessions most relevant to their discipline or practice.
- Anti-Racism and Equitable Access to Care
- Caring for Patients and Families
- Leadership and System Design
- Quality Clinical Practice
- The Fourth Aim – Wellness of the Health Care Team
These streams are only guidelines, and you may submit an abstract on any topic you believe is related to hospice palliative care. Examples of topics are listed on page 4 of this document.
Abstract Review and Selection Criteria
All submissions will be evaluated by an Abstract Review Committee and accepted based on the following criteria:
• Relevance and significance of the topic to hospice palliative care
• Alignment to at least one of the conference themes
• Based on evidence and/or innovative hospice palliative care research
• Presentation of practical tools for practice and service delivery
• Abstract is well written/clearly communicated
Workshops will be selected based on originality, relevance to hospice palliative care, community-based outcomes, educational objectives, and/or scientific merit. All workshop and oral paper abstract submissions will be reviewed by a volunteer team of reviewers. The corresponding author/presenter (workshops, oral papers, and posters) will receive communication regarding accepted abstracts in February 2024.
To Submit an Abstract
Abstract submissions are now closed.
Questions?
Please contact the Conference Team by email: conference@hpco.ca