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It’s never too early - get those cameras clicking!
The Pacific Dermatologic Association (PDA) is looking for high-quality cases to be presented at the
Walter R. Nickel / Louis H. Winer Dermatopathology CPC, to be held during the PDA's 67th Annual
Meeting August 5-9, 2015 in Park City, Utah. One of the most popular sessions offered at each PDA meeting, the CPC will feature the presentation and discussion of the clinical and histopathological correlations of 15 interesting and cutting-edge dermatology cases. Guest dermatopathologists Keith
Duffy, MD (University of Utah), Whitney High, MD (University of Colorado) and Brook Brouha,
MD (Compass Dermatopathology) will be discussing your case in the context of their experience.
We welcome submissions from members and non-members alike. Meeting attendance is not required to submit a case.
NEW FOR 2015 - there will be additional emphasis on the "Clinical" in CPC for this year's program as cases will be presented in a Grand Rounds format. Attendees will be able to earn credit for 30 of the 100 self-assessment questions they must complete every three (3) years in MOC.
Cases will be chosen primarily on the basis of educational value. If two similar cases are submitted, preference will be given to the case that was submitted first. Each submitter of a case that is chosen for the
CPC will be recognized by name, and their case (including pictures) will be available in the meeting mobile app accessible via tablet or laptop computer (PDA 2015 is a "paper-lite" meeting).
To submit a case, please enclose the following materials:
1. Case information as indicated on the CPC Submission Form.
2. Clinical history/findings, pathology report(s) and reference copies.
3. One or more high-quality clinical photographs, electronic images are required.
4. Either one of the following:
• A minimum of 2 H & E slides and 4 positively-charged, unstained glass slides. If immunohistochemistry is available, please include with your submission (we will return after presentation). Slides can be made from serial sections to allow for conservation of the material in the tissue block. If needed, you can send the tissue block and we can cut the sections.
•Paraffin-embedded tissue block(s) containing at least enough tissue to prepare 6 slides
5. Case material must be submitted in entirety and in a HIPAA-compliant manner for acceptance.
6. Two (2) questions related to your case (each with 5 possible answers) that can be used for MOC Self-
Assessment ( see page 3 for the question template and pages 4-7 for question writing guidelines )
If you don't have any current cases to contribute, please consider submitting an older case, illuminated by follow-up. Cases with long-term follow-up are most informative! We will return all submitted materials unless otherwise indicated.
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.
Names of Contributors , in the order you wish them to appear:
Please indicate with an * the person who should receive all communications.
CONTRIBUTOR NAME(S)
AFFILIATION(S) (e.g., university, department)
ADDRESS
PHONE FAX EMAIL
ABSTRACT
ALL SECTIONS OF THIS FORM MUST BE COMPLETED!
Please enclose additional materials such as pathology reports and reference copies.
•Diagnosis/Title of Case:
•Important Feature(s), Reason for Presentation:
•Clinical History:
•Brief Description of Histology, Special Stains, etc.:
**This information must be included, even if pathology report is attached**
•Discussion and/or Brief Review of the Literature (wax eloquent - no limit):



PLEASE CHECK APPROPRIATE BOXES AND ENCLOSE THE SPECIFIED ITEMS:
2 H & E Slides and 4 Unstained Slides
Clinical Photographs
2 MOC questions
Paraffin Block
Clinical Photographs
2 MOC questions
Material Return Requested
RETURN BEFORE MAY 15, 2015 TO:
Keith Duffy, MD
PDA Clinicopathologic Committee Chair
University of Utah
Dept of Dermatology, 4A330 SOM
30 N 1900 E
Salt Lake City, UT 84132-0002
Phone: (801) 581-6465
Email: keith.duffy@hsc.utah.edu u
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MOC SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTION TEMPLATE
Instructions: Please complete the form below for each question you are submitting – see pages 4-7 for valuable tips on how to construct a good self-assessment question from your case.
Question template Question No:
Author
Content Area
3 Keywords
At the end of this question, the learner will be able to (add a measureable statement)
Question must be written in a vignette format (See page 4 for example):
Question -
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Preferred
Response:
(Include letter with answer in the preferred response below)
(For the discussion include why correct is preferred as well as why the other choices were not the best answer – see writers guide)
Discussion
References:
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2
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Figure Identify which clinical photo from your case you want to use
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What makes a good question?
Each question should consist of a stem (e.g. clinical vignette); lead in (e.g. the question to be answered) and 5 options (1 correct answer and 4 incorrect answers).
Example:
Stem:
A 4-year-old boy develops a rash on the third day of amoxicillin therapy for otitis media.
Physical examination reveals an afebrile, well-appearing child. Concentrated on the distal extremities are erythematous macules and papules ranging from 0.5 to 1 cm in diameter. Some lesions have a central vesicle or appear dusky. There are two erosions on the buccal mucosa.
C.
D.
E.
Lead in:
Of the following, the MOST likely diagnosis is
Options:
A.
B. erythema multiforme minor morbilliform amoxicillin eruption
Stevens-Johnson syndrome toxic epidermal necrolysis urticaria
What makes this a good question?
1.
The vignette is clinically relevant
2.
The question tests applied knowledge skills (thinking, reasoning and understanding) rather than recall of facts.
Examples of applied knowledge: use formulas to calculate a result; interpret clinical findings in order to determine future testing, management; formulate a differential diagnosis.
Other principles:
 The question and discussion should test the most up to date knowledge. Consider what’s new in an area and what you would like the reader to learn from this question and discussion.

The preferred response to your question should clearly be the correct answer. Remember, you will have to defend it in the discussion. Controversial aspects of a content specification can and should be discussed in the critique but avoid putting the controversy in the question options.

Avoid terms that might offend a gender or ethnic group.
 Don’t use vague terms (e.g., probably, usually, rarely, might, may, can).

Avoid absolute terms (e.g., always, never).

Jargon terms and slang (e.g., tubing the infant; bolusing fluids) are usually inappropriate.
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
Abbreviations cannot be used unless defined earlier in the question or discussion.

Brand names are forbidden; must use generics.

Avoid reverse truths (e.g., a true statement made false by inserting a negative word).
For the Stem:

Use a clinical vignette whenever possible. Include history, exam, and, if appropriate,
lab results.

If possible, leave out the diagnosis and make the reader figure that out from the information provided.

Avoid adding extraneous, non-relevant data to the vignette (e.g., a lab test that isn't needed to make the diagnosis).

Always try to make the vignette relevant to the practicing clinician.
For the Question:

Since the goal is to asses and to teach what is right, not what is wrong, the question should not ask for a wrong answer. Examples of wrong answer questions:
All of the following are true, except
A false statement about the treatment of otitis media is
Of the following, the least likely diagnosis is

Since you may not want to include the most obvious correct choice among your options, a good lead in for the options often is the statement "of the following."
 Questions must have one right and four wrong answers, so “all of the above” or “none of the above” options are prohibited.
 Avoid using terms like "which of the following is true" or "a true statement is” because these types of questions usually are testing facts, not clinically relevant knowledge and often require long and complicated options.
For the Options:

The correct option should be clearly correct. If there is controversy among medical experts about the correct option avoid it.

All of the incorrect answers should be plausible.
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
Answers should be parallel and homogenous (e.g., all answers should be diagnosis, lab test, or drug therapy). You can, however, mix treatment answers and management answers for questions in which you're asking, “What is the next step in the management of”.

No new information should be included in the answers.

Avoid giving the reader extraneous clues to the right answer (e.g., two mutually exclusive answers, so one must be correct and all the other answers don't have to be considered).

Avoid giving the reader grammatical cues. You should be able to avoid this if you read the lead in and option together for each of your options.

All the options should be of similar length since the reader will recognize that long options are usually the correct ones.

In general, the options should be as short and succinct.

Since there is a tendency to make the correct answer either first or last, options are listed in alphabetical order.
General Comments
A good discussion should be a concise summary of relevant information regarding the content specification. You do not need to defend your information, by referring to research studies, but please make sure your information is up to date. As a guide, the discussions are usually about 4 paragraphs in length although there is no set word limit. If you have covered the material in two paragraphs, that’s okay. In contrast if you feel you need to write a longer discussion to cover the topic that’s also acceptable.
Other Comments

The objective of your questions must be discussed in the discussion.

Organize the discussion so that the reader will be able to know in the first few paragraphs, preferably the first paragraph, why the correct option is indeed correct.

All of the incorrect options need to be addressed in the discussion. Even if it seems obvious to the writer why an option is incorrect, you must explain why it is incorrect in the discussion. It’s okay to do this with just one or two sentences.

The discussion is the writer's opportunity to discuss the latest information on a topic and consider the important teaching points they wish to address.
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References:

At least two references should be provided.
 All references should be within the last 5 years, unless there is a “classic” article that you wish to include.

If the topic is basic and you do not have a recent journal article, use the latest edition of a common dermatologic text.
Media:

Good print quality (high resolution) clinical images should accompany the questions. This should be images that already exist with the submission of your CPC case.

All media must follow HIPAA compliance.
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