Publication of abstracts submitted to the annual meeting of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America

A computerized MEDLINE search was performed to determine the publication pattern of the abstracts submitted for podium presentation at the 1991-1994 annual meetings of the the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA). The publication percentage for all papers submitted to the POSNA meetings from 1991 through 1994 was 45%. Fifty-three percent of papers accepted for podium presentation were ultimately published in comparison with 38% Of those not accepted for presentation (p < 0.001). The mean time to publication was 29 months and did not differ significantly for the two groups. The majority of papers (65%) were published in either Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics (48%) or The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (American) (17%). The frequency of ultimate publication of abstracts submitted to the annual POSNA meetings compares favorably with the rates for other medical subspecialties.