Research awareness among medical students: a student's perspective

ABSTRACT

This is an era of extremely fast growing concepts replacing the old ones with new projections. In this overwhelming world of information [RESEARCH] is the only way to compete and compre-hend new thoughts. The word Research as perceived by general population is making any new discovery. The same goes for methodology of research that it is done in high tech laboratories provided with lot of expertise further adds up to neglect towards research. The lack of awareness, innovation and appreciation on part of both workers and population has limited the number of research projects in our country. 1. To compare the research awareness among students of preclinical [PC] and clinical [C] years 2. To compare the research awareness among students of public and private sector medical colleges. A cross-sectional study. JMDC, Sep-Oct, 2004. Responses to a questionnaire from a total of I 400 students [160 PC and 240 C] were analyzed using percentage and student's t-test methods. Study included response of 10 students from 1[st] till finalyear of MBBS course from three public sector [Pub] [DMC, SMC, KMDC] and five private sector [Pvt] Medical Colleges [JMDC, ZMU, AKUH, Baqai and Hamdard Med University]. Only 54.55% of the students were aware about the description of research, [57.08%, 50.75%clinical and preclinical respectively]. Comparatively more students from Pvt sector were aware about research and its methodologies [Pvt 55.2% vs Pub 48.13% p<0.05]. Students from the clinical years think that lack of awareness to research and its methodologies is the most important cause [C 25.4% vs PC 9.4% p< 0.05] while students from private sector accused unavailability of funds as the major problem [Pvt 36.8% vs Pub 28.0% p<0.05].1. Teaching biostatistics and research methodologies have a crucial outcome on the awareness of research. 2. Implementing COME/PBL in private sector medical colleges has remarkably amplified the knowledge about research in the medical students. 3. Sequentially downhill the students chose lack of supervision, funds and knowledge about the subject as the main reasons for doctors not conducting research