ABSTRACT PRESENTATIONS - WHAT DO SGIM PRESENTERS PREFER

We surveyed physicians presenting abstracts at the 1995 Society of Gen eral Internal Medicine annual meeting to determine whether the oral or poster format better achieved their presentation goals. Poster presen tations better met respondents' objectives for feedback and criticism and for networking and developing collaborative projects, while oral p resentations better met their objectives for national visibility and s haring knowledge within one's field. Sixty-nine percent of respondents preferred to present oral abstracts. The majority of these presenters preferred to present their research in an oral format although poster presentations still played an important role for them, particularly a s a venue for feedback on their work. As meeting size increases, diffe rent presentation formats should be explored that best meet the needs of the academic community.