Follow Up on a Congress Poster With Evidence Maturity in View

Congress posters can offer an early view of a scientific question while giving readers less detail than a full publication. A medical science liaison should explain the available source accurately and help the clinician identify what evidence they want to examine next. This approach respects the difference between a poster and a complete evidence review.

Ask whether the clinician saw the poster directly, a summary slide, or a reference on social media. Review the poster’s stated objective, methods, results, and limitations without adding conclusions it does not support. Offer to locate related published literature where appropriate. Present preliminary material with its limits and leave clinical practice decisions to their established processes.

In a fictional follow-up, a department chair says, “The poster looked promising. Should our group change anything?” The liaison answers, “I can walk through what the poster reports and its stated limits. Which finding would you like to examine first?” The chair asks about sample size. The liaison reviews the poster’s description and offers a later exchange with published sources that address the broader topic.

Managers can coach liaisons to separate what the poster says from questions it leaves open. A useful note records the source, the clinician’s question, and the next evidence route. This keeps scientific curiosity connected to careful source review.