Medical student researchers in Colombia and associated factors with publication: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundGaps between evidence-based research and clinical-public health practice have been evident for decades. One of the aims of medical student research is to close this gap. Accordingly, evaluating individual and environmental factors that influence participation of medical students in research are needed to understand and identify potential targets for action. This study aims to identify characteristics of medical student researchers in Colombia and the associated factors with scientific publications.MethodsA cross-sectional study of Colombian medical students involved in research using a validated, self-administered, online survey. The survey was distributed through the Colombian Association of Medical Students’ Associations (ASCEMCOL). Data sets were analyzed using descriptive and summary statistics. Bivariate analysis and a multiple logistic regression model were conducted to identify predictors of scientific publications.ResultsA total of 133 responses were analyzed from students at 12 Colombian cities and 20 higher-education institutions. Although 94% of responders had at least one research proposal, only 57% had completed a project, and 17% had published their findings. Barriers for undertaking research included time restrictions and a lack of mentorship. Motivational factors included opportunity to publish findings and good mentorship. Students planning to do a specialization (OR = 3.25; 95% Confidence interval [CI] = 1.27–8.30), innovators (OR = 3.52; 95%CI = 1.30–9.52) and committed (OR = 3.39; 95%CI = 1.02–11.29), those who had previously published their findings (OR 9.13 IC95% 2.57–32.48), and were further in their medical education (OR 2.26 IC95% 1.01–5.07), were more likely to publish scientific papers.ConclusionsOur findings describe medical students understanding of the process of conducting research in Colombia. Although there appears to be motivation to participate in research, very few students achieve publication. Barriers such as time constraints and mentorship seem to play a critical role. This highlights opportunities where barriers to research can be overcome in medical school and other levels.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12909-017-1087-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Current Status of Scientific Research Accomplishments of Senior Eight-year-program Medical Students in China: A Multicenter Cross-sectional Questionnaire-based Study

“…The major obstacle found in this research was the heavy load from studies or internships, which corresponds with previous results [4,7]. The most de cient research abilities were research design and statistical analysis, which was also consistent with other studies [24,25]. Students performed relatively better in academic reading and writing, probably because the ve medical schools in this study all provided related compulsory courses.…”

“…The modern medical education system has been engaging medical students in research for nearly half a century, and students' feedback has been generally positive in the USA [9][10][11]. Research training provides valuable experience for medical students, cultivating their interest in research and allowing them to critically evaluate new research ndings and advanced medical knowledge [13][14][15]. Brancati et al found that career achievement was related to research experience in medical school [16].…”

Clinicians’ Publication Output: Self-Report Survey and Bibliometric Analysis

“…For the primary outcome measure, we defined scientific publication output as scholarly publications limited to case reports, reviews or original research papers [20]. Reviews were limited to systematic reviews, meta-analysis, scoping reviews or rapid literature reviews and excluded book reviews.…”

“…Parts of the survey items were adapted from previously published studies, Khan et al [9], Bonilla-Escobar et al [20], Niwa et al [21] and Bovijn et al [22], with additional items being added to further conceptualise our study objectives and sample characteristics. The questionnaire was pre-piloted prior to data collection to assess its comprehensibility and ease of completion.…”

Associated factors with reaching a scientific publication during medical training: evidence from 40 medical schools surveyed in Latin America.

“…However, there are still gaps in Latin America when comparing to research university systems from developed countries in terms of the number of publications, the quality of articles published, the outreach of the studies, and funding opportunities (5). Studies in Colombia and Brazil show that medical students consider scientific research as an important issue of their training and the low scientific production is influenced by the lack of inspirational and committed mentors as role models for the beginning of a scientific career (6,7).…”