. Gaurang Narayan; . Anandaraj Rajagopal; . Lopamudra Moharana
Volume 13, Issue 1 , January 2023, , Pages 1-7
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Biomedical research is not given adequate attention during undergraduationdue to the failure of the medical curriculum to motivate the students to take up research, teach ...
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BACKGROUND: Biomedical research is not given adequate attention during undergraduationdue to the failure of the medical curriculum to motivate the students to take up research, teach theresearch methodology, and emphasize the scope of research in the future. Our objective was tostudy the perceptions of medical undergraduate students toward biomedical research and to explorethe facilitators and barriers to biomedical research.MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was an explanatory, sequential, mixed‑method study. Consentingmedical undergraduate students, irrespective of their previous contribution to research, wereinterviewed by a pretested questionnaire concerning biomedical research, its barriers, and facilitators.For the qualitative component, two focused group discussions (FGDs) were conducted amongstudents in the nonclinical and clinical phases. Data were analyzed and expressed as percentages.Thematic manual content analysis of the transcribed manuscripts was performed.RESULTS: This study included 553 participants. Only 5.52% had previous experience undertakingresearch. Self‑interest and acquiring deeper knowledge were identified as drivers. Lack of motivation,proper guidance, and training in research methodology was found to be the barrier among 90% ofthe subjects. The FGD reflected the perceptions of students and variations in their ideologies towardtaking up research.CONCLUSION: It becomes important to analyze the factors that promote or avert a student fromtaking up research. A thorough investigation in this regard will be helpful for future cohorts ofmedical students and will impact their decisions on taking up research and in seeking a career inresearch‑based fields.
