Obstacles Encountered by Medical Students in Conducting Academic Research - A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Purpose: Research is the most important aspect for the betterment and enhancement of medical services that are provided to the community. Health training research is regarded as a critical activity in current medical training at the undergraduate level. The aim of this investigation was to identify the key obstacles that medical students face when performing academic research and to see if these issues differ between female and male students. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional research was carried out, encompassing 164 participants, wherein a modified questionnaire was deployed for data acquisition. Employing a simple random sampling methodology, data was gathered exclusively from final year undergraduate medical students from government and private universities of Faisalabad. Exclusions were made for individuals exhibiting isolated personalities, lack of willingness to participate in research, and those presenting psychological concerns. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 22 and presented in form of tables and graphs. Findings: Participants mean age was 20.73±1.7. Out of 164 students, 60.4% were females and 39.6% were males. Most prominent obstacles were found to be limited monetary support or lack of funding for research, family responsibilities, lack of guidance from university professors, demotivating university authorities, social responsibilities, and lack of knowledge about statistical methods, limited availability of information sources, limited time, insufficient understanding of research procedures, and insufficient research abilities. There were no statistical significant differences found between male and female students regarding these perceived obstacles. Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: Institutes need to organize a variety of research-related activities, and teachers must encourage students to participate in research activities. International and local seminars should be organized for students to emphasize the importance of medical research. Teachers should involve students in research projects so that they can expand their knowledge.  Because the sample size in this study was small, it must be replicated with a larger sample size in future studies. It is recommended that additional research be conducted to investigate the perspectives of university professors, research mentors, and university authorities in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and potential solutions. Collaborate with university administration to identify potential sources of financial support for student research projects.