Investigación en pregrado de las escuelas de Medicina de Chile: percepción sobre facilitadores y limitantes entre los asistentes al III Congreso Chileno de Estudiantes de Medicina (CoCEM) / Involvement of medical students in research. Facilitators and constraints

BACKGROUND: Scientific research is fundamental to the education of medical students. However, their involvement in research is limited. AIM: To describe the perceptions of medical students about facilitators and constraints to perform undergraduate research. MATERIAL AND METOHDS: Medical students attending the Chilean Congress of Medical Students in the Metropolitan Region in 2018, were surveyed. The responses obtained were subjected to a qualitative content analysis and were grouped according to perceptions of facilitators and constraints. RESULTS: The main facilitators reported were linkage with research teachers, personal motivation towards research, and research-oriented curriculum. The main constraints were lack of time for research, lack of access to formal information channels to engage in research, and sub-optimal conditions for research. CONCLUSIONS: The main factor promoting research at the undergraduate level was the link with the teacher, mainly through informal channels. The lack of official information provided through formal instances and lack of time hampers the access to research.

Investigación en pregrado de las escuelas de medicina de Chile: Motivación y participación de estudiantes de medicina asistentes al Congreso Chileno de Estudiantes de Medicina (COCEM)

Background: The participation of medical students in research generates professional, scientific, and personal benefits for the student. Aim: To evaluate the interest and opportunities for medical students in Chile to participate in scientific research and their perceptions about factors influencing research. Material and Methods: All students attending the 2018 Chilean Congress for Medical Students were invited to answer a 44 questions survey about interest and opportunities to participate in research. Results: The survey was answered by 489 of the 538 students attending the congress. Eighty five percent referred interest in conducting scientific research, but only 47% had the opportunity to actively participate in a research project. The main research area providing opportunities was epidemiology and the main form to access a research project was through direct contact with a medical professor or researcher. Seventy seven percent of respondents had courses of scientific investigation in their medical curriculum and 92% had a scientific society for medical students in their university. Conclusions: Respondents showed a great deal of interest in participating in scientific research. However, there is a gap between this interest and the available opportunities. Medical professors should promote and facilitate the participation of their students in research.