The Attitude of Medical and Pharmacy Students towards Research Activities: A Multicenter Approach

Effectiveness of a Bleeding Control Course for Public Transit Drivers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

INTRODUCTION

In Dar es Salaam, mortality from road traffic injuries is roughly double the global rate. Most civilians are transported to hospitals by laypeople. We examined the impact of a bleeding control course among taxi drivers.

METHODS

Before-after study; participants were trained in hemorrhage control and equipped with a first aid kit. Primary outcomes were perceived bleeding control knowledge, perceived ability to apply bleeding control skills, and intention to intervene. Surveys were administered before, after, and 3 mo after training. Data were measured on a 1-5 Likert scale.

RESULTS

Among 186 participants, knowledge increased from 1.70 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.55-1.85) before training to 4.67 (95% CI 4.55-4.78) after training and was sustained at 3 mo 4.69 (95% CI 4.61-4.77). Ability to apply skills increased from 2.12 (95% CI 1.96-2.27) before training to 4.68 (95% CI 4.59-4.78) after training and was sustained at 3 mo 4.67 (95% CI 4.57-4.76). Intention to intervene increased from 2.69 (95% CI 2.47-2.92) before training to 4.66 (95% CI 4.55-4.76) after training and was sustained at 3 mo 4.57 (95% CI 4.48-4.67). 83 interventions occurred. Transport to health-care facilities occurred 58 times. Care was transferred to a doctor or nurse 39 times.

CONCLUSIONS

This course increased participant's perceived bleeding control knowledge, ability to apply skills, and intention to intervene. Participants utilized skills in the field, transported the injured, and handed off care. This course should be evaluated globally in similar contexts.

Exploring the perceptions of faculty members about research courses in undergraduate pharmacy curriculum: A qualitative study

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE

The commitment of pharmacy graduates to patient care and research is crucial to advancing pharmaceutical science and practice. Consequently, the value of involving undergraduate pharmacy students in research has been increasingly recognized. Given that the College of Pharmacy at Qatar University offers two undergraduate pharmacy research courses, it is relevant to explore the perception of faculty members of the delivery, impact, facilitators, barriers, and suggested improvements in these courses. This exploration will help to improve the existing curriculum and to highlight the prospective impact of student involvement in undergraduate pharmacy research courses on the personal and professional growth of students, as well as on the progressive evolution of the pharmacy profession.

METHODS

A qualitative exploratory case study was performed in which five virtual focus groups were conducted. All eligible faculty members from the clinical pharmacy and pharmaceutical science departments with experience supervising students who had taken one or two undergraduate pharmacy research courses were invited to participate. The focus group questions were based on the Theoretical domain framework of behavioral determinants. Verbatim transcription was performed, and the collected data were thematically analyzed using the computer-assisted coding software NVivo®.

RESULTS

Of the 26 eligible faculty members, 21 participated in this study. Five deductive themes were identified: social professional role and influences, beliefs about capabilities, skills, beliefs about consequences and goals, and environmental resources and behavioral regulations. Overall, faculty members identified themselves as assessors and mentors. Participants expected students to possess independence, responsibility, and motivation. They believed that students generally required more practical research skills. Several benefits of incorporating students into undergraduate research have been highlighted, including increased publication productivity and quality. However, several hurdles to undergraduate research in pharmacy have been identified, including limited resources, limited timeframes, and sometimes delayed ethical approval.

CONCLUSION

Faculty members expressed optimism regarding the undergraduate research courses. However, some logistical concerns, including the lengthy ethical approval process and resource availability, must be addressed to optimize the effectiveness of these courses.

Confidence, attitude, and practice of scientific research among health professions' students in the United Arab Emirates

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to assess the confidence, attitude, and scientific research practices of undergraduate students of different health profession specialties.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, an online-based questionnaire was distributed as a Google Form via groups and pages of medical universities available on social media sites such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter to the second- to sixth-year students of different health profession specialties in different universities across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the period from October through December 2023 using the convenience sampling technique. The questionnaire included four parts that assessed socio-demographics and custom-designed research-related questions (6 items), perceived confidence (8 items), attitudes (14 items), and the practice in the context of scientific research and its implementation (9 items). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to explore the variables associated with the study outcomes, including confidence, attitudes, and practice levels.

RESULTS

The study included 522 undergraduate students. The participants reported low confidence, a negative attitude, and low scientific research practice. Regression results revealed that individuals without prior research experiences were less likely to have high confidence and practice compared to those with previous research experience (OR = 0.634, 95% CI: 0.426-0.945, p = 0.025; and OR = 0.139, 95%Cl: 0.090-0.216, P<0.001, respectively). Additionally, participants who reported difficulty in differentiating between various literature resources were less likely to have high confidence and practice compared to those who reported the ability to differentiate (OR = 0.627, 95% CI: 0.42-0.935, p = 0.022, and OR = 0.370, 95%Cl: 0.237-0.579, p<0.001, respectively). Furthermore, individuals who had not taught research methods in their undergraduate studies were less likely to have high practice (OR = 0.505, 95%Cl: 0.309-0.823, p = 0.06).

CONCLUSIONS

Undergraduates of different medical specialties in the UAE demonstrated acceptable levels of confidence and attitude toward scientific research, with several areas for practice improvement. Education and training courses focusing on various aspects of scientific research should be incorporated into the medical curricula in order to enhance students' confidence and practice of scientific research.

Perceptions and experiences of undergraduate pharmacy students and alumni toward research after exposure to undergraduate research courses

Introduction

Academic institutions have a duty to equip health professional students with the requisite research skills to ensure the implementation of evidence-based practice. This study aims to determine the perceptions of pharmacy students and alumni toward research after completing Undergraduate Research in Pharmacy Courses (URPCs) at the College of Pharmacy–Qatar University (CPH–QU).

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted. All CPH-QU alumni (n = 238), and all third- and fourth-year professional students who had completed at least one URPC at the time of conducting the study (n = 42) were approached. The questionnaire contained items relating to research experience and perceptions of significance, confidence in conducting research, actual and anticipated outcomes, and motivation for future research. A Theoretical Domains Framework informed the development of selected items.

Results

The response rate was 72.1% (202/280); however, the usable rate was 95.5% (193/202). The participants gave positive responses relating to their perceptions of research significance {Median = 5.0 [Interquartile range (IQR) = 1.0], Minimum–Maximum = 1–5}, confidence in conducting research [Median = 4.0 (IQR = 1.0), Minimum–Maximum = 1–5], actual and anticipated outcomes [Median = 4.0 (IQR = 1.0), Minimum–Maximum = 1–5], and motivation for future research plans [Median = 4.0 (IQR = 1.0), Minimum–Maximum = 1–5]. The majority of participants perceived non-confidence in using data analysis software [72 (39.4% non-confidence)] and a high proportion of participants were non-confident in conducting data analysis [45 (24.6% non-confidence)]. More than half reported publishing at least one peer-reviewed article [99 (54.4% agreement)] from their courses and were highly motivated to consider post-graduate degrees in pharmacy [132 (73.3% agreement)].

Conclusions

Incorporating URPCs into CPH–QU curriculum has potentially improved students and alumni's perceptions of research. Action is needed to improve confidence in different aspects of research.

Could the academic advisor, intrinsic motivation, and time management influence students’ attitudes towards research work on campus?

BACKGROUND: Research is essential and necessary for those who love learning, whether they belong to a research institution or not. Numerous elements influence researchers’ attitudes towards good research work, but in this study we focus on the most significant ones: advisor support, intrinsic motivation, timing, and planning. OBJECTIVES: The current study aims at motivating readers to help improve students’ attitudes towards research work within the university context. METHOD: The target demographic of the current research comprises masters and doctoral students from three major public institutions in Xian, China. We aimed to examine the effects of the variables and the study employed correlation and stepwise regression. RESULTS: The results show that advisor support influences attitudes towards research positively and significantly (β= 0.20, p < 0.01). Likewise, intrinsic motivation has a positive and significant effect on attitude towards research (β= 0.18, p < 0.01). Time attitudes significantly influenced attitudes towards research (β= 0.14, p < 0.05). Furthermore, time planning also positively and significantly influenced the attitude towards research (β= 0.15, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: To achieve an excellent attitude towards research work, students need a cooperative academic advisor who will intrinsically motivate them in their research activities. However, they must manage their academic time and be equipped with time management skills.

Research involvement among undergraduate health profession students in a resource-limited setting: awareness, attitude, motivators and barriers

BACKGROUND

Involvement of undergraduate health professions students (HPS) in research will facilitate evidence-based clinical practice among future healthcare practitioners. This study aimed to assess research involvement among undergraduate HPS students and associated factors in Uganda.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online assessment tool sent through WhatsApp groups and E-mail addresses of HPS in 12 medical schools in Uganda between 20th September and 5th October 2021.

RESULTS

We enrolled 398 participants with a mean age of 23.9 ± 3.7 years. Of this, 267 (67.1%) were male. One hundred twenty (30.2%) participants previously participated in a research activity: 90 (58.4%) as research assistants, 39 (25.3%) published as first authors, and 25 (16.2%) as co-authors. Training on the conduct of research was received by 242 (65.8%) participants, and 326 (81.9%) had intentions of conducting research in the future. Factors influencing participation in research activities were, age ≥ 25 years (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.9, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.2-3.2, p = 0.012), being male (aOR: 2.1, 95%CI: 1.2-3.6, p = 0.008), and being in a clinical year i.e., year 3 (aOR: 3.2, 95% CI: 1.1-9.3, p = 0.033), year 4 (aOR: 3.3, 95% CI: 1.1-9.5, p = 0.028) and year 5(aOR: 11.6, 95% CI: 3.2-42.1, p < 0.001). Lack of funds (79.6%), and mentorship (63.3%) were reported as major barriers to research.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite a high proportion of HPS showing interest in getting involved in research, less than one-third reported previous involvement. Addressing barriers such as funding could potentially improve research involvement and output among undergraduate HPS in resource-limited settings.

Factors influencing the involvement of doctor of pharmacy students in research and scholarship projects

INTRODUCTION

The study objective was to determine factors that stimulate or hinder student pharmacist participation in research and scholarship, to determine factors faculty believe are motivators or barriers for student pharmacist participation, and to compare student and faculty responses.

METHODS

An electronic questionnaire was developed and emailed to all students enrolled in the doctor of pharmacy program and to all program faculty. To increase response rate, students were provided class time to complete the survey. Responses were collected anonymously.

RESULTS

A total of 404 students (69% response rate) and 35 faculty (78% response rate) participated. Motivational factors rated highly by both students and faculty were interest in the topic, comfort level in working with faculty, energetic quality of faculty, and becoming more competitive for post-graduate training. Students indicated that projects benefiting the profession/medical community was an important motivator, while faculty believed that pursuing a position that requires research/scholarship was a key motivational factor. The most highly rated barrier was lack of time.

CONCLUSIONS

Student pharmacist participation in research and scholarship with faculty is variable in our program and little was known previously about factors that led student pharmacists to engage in research and scholarship. There was general agreement among student and faculty regarding several motivating factors; however, some important differences did exist. Addressing these differences may help increase student involvement in research and scholarship in the future.

Attitudes of pharmacy students towards scientific research and academic career in Saudi Arabia

Background

Academic research is an essential part of undergraduate and post graduate education to become qualified health care professionals. The objective of this study was to evaluate the attitudes of pharmacy students towards scientific research and/or academic careers in Saudi Arabia.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey based study was conducted among pharmacy students at King Saud University. A self-administered questionnaire was implemented over a period of 3 months (January to March 2018).

Results

A total of 223 students returned the survey. More than one third students (66.3%) agreed that participation in research increased their interest in pursuing a career in research/academic pharmacy. Most students (75.3%) were interested in participating research during the course of study and 73.6% believed that research training should be a compulsory part of teaching curriculum. In addition, more than half of students (54.5%) were interested in higher studies such as PhD after graduation. Most of students (70.3%) ranked lifestyle (73.6%) and earning potential (70.3%) as an important factor for them when choosing a specialty.

Conclusions

Pharmacy students had positive attitudes towards research activities and they desired to be involved more in research publications. However, addressing the barriers and improving student participation will increase their interest in academic research.