Barriers to translational research in Windsor Ontario: a survey of clinical care providers and health researchers

Background Translational research is an ideology focussed on streamlining the transition of novel research into clinical practice to ultimately benefit populations. Central to this approach is overcoming barriers to research involvement and interdisciplinary collaboration. Identifying barriers has been the subject of several studies focused on communities with large academic hospitals. The Windsor-Essex region is currently built around community hospitals which have less of an emphasis on research, employ fewer physicians holding academic appointments and generally do not provide incentivised time for research and training. In this study, we surveyed clinicians and researchers working in Windsor-Essex to gain insight into barriers to translational research important to those working in smaller sized, community-based research networks. Methods Using an anonymous close-ended Qualtrics survey distributed via email, we surveyed faculty members from The University of Windsor and clinical care providers from Windsor-Essex (n = 68). This included 24 physicians, 14 allied health professionals, and 30 non-clinician researchers. Results Managing competing interests, lack of time, funding, infrastructure, and networks were identified by greater than 75% of participants as barriers to research involvement. 62% of physicians identified the lack of permanent post-graduate medical trainees as a barrier. Clinicians were consistently less experienced in research skills compared to others; particularly in publishing results and applying for funding (p < 0.001). Schedule incompatibility, funding issues and identifying interested collaborators with overlapping interests were identified as barriers to interdisciplinary collaboration by 80% of participants. Moreover, 46% of those surveyed were unhappy with their research involvement and these individuals were 13% more likely to perceive research as important for their career progression (p = 0.244). Conclusions This study identifies several important barriers to translational research in Windsor-Essex and suggests that many motivated researchers are unhappy with their current involvement. These results will inform decision making in the research community of Windsor-Essex and provides insight for communities of similar size and research capacity. Ultimately, enabling the translation of clinical research in all communities is required to ensure equitable access to cutting edge care.

Research Involvement Among Undergraduate Health Profession Students in a Resource-Limited Setting: Awareness, Attitude, Motivators and Barriers

Background: Involvement of undergraduate health professions students (HPS) in research will facilitate evidence-based clinical practice among future healthcare partitioners. This study aimed to assess research involvement of undergraduate students and associated factors in Uganda.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online assessment tool sent through WhatsApp groups and E-mail addresses of HPS in 12 medical schools in Uganda between 20th September and 5th October 2021.Results: We enrolled 398 participants with a mean age of 23.9±3.7 years. Of this, 267 (67.1%) were male. One hundred twenty (30.2%) participants previously participated in a research activity: 90 (58.4%) as research assistants, 39 (25.3%) published as first authors, and 25 (16.2%) as co-authors. Training on the conduct of research was received by242 (65.8%) participants, and 326 (81.9%) had intentions of conducting research in the future. Factors influencing participation in research activities were, age ³ 25 years (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.9, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.2‑3.2, p=0.012), being male (aOR: 2.1, 95%CI: 1.2 - 3.6, p=0.008), and being in a clinical year i.e., year 3 (aOR: 3.2, 95% CI: 1.1 -9.3, p=0.033), year 4 (aOR: 3.3, 95% CI: 1.1 - 9.5, p=0.028) and year 5(aOR: 11.6, 95% CI: 3.2 - 42.1, p<0.001). Lack of funds (79.6%), and mentorship (63.3%) were reported as major barriers to research.Conclusions: Despite a high proportion of HPS showing interest in getting involved in research, less than one-third reported previous involvement. Addressing barriers such as funding could potentially improve research involvement and output among undergraduate HPS in resource-limited settings.

Re-evaluating Passive Research Involvement in the Undergraduate Curriculum

In recent years, advocates for research-based education have publicized many examples of passive research involvement, defined as undergraduates learning about the content and lived experience of research at their institution. But the qualitative dimensions of passive research involvement remain unknown. The results show a range of experiences in student learning about faculty research.

Barriers to Translational Research in Windsor Ontario: A Survey of Clinical Care Providers and Health Researchers

BackgroundTranslational research is an ideology focussed on streamlining the transition of novel research into clinical practice to ultimately benefit populations. Central to this approach is overcoming barriers to research involvement and interdisciplinary collaboration. While these have been the subject of several studies, the research community of Windsor-Essex lacks the large tertiary institution typical of the communities that are the usually the subject of this research. In this study, we surveyed clinicians and researchers working in Windsor-Essex to gain insight into barriers to translational research important to those working in smaller sized, community-based research networks. MethodsUsing an anonymous close-ended Qualtrics survey distributed via email, we surveyed faculty members from The University of Windsor and clinical care providers from Windsor-Essex (n=68). This included 24 physicians, 14 allied health professionals, and 30 non-clinician researchers. Results Managing competing interests, lack of time, funding, infrastructure, and networks were identified by greater than 75% of participants as barriers to research involvement. 62% of physicians identified the lack of permanent post-graduate medical trainees as a barrier. Clinicians were consistently less experienced in research skills compared to others; particularly in publishing results and applying for funding (p<0.001). Schedule incompatibility, funding issues and identifying interested collaborators with overlapping interests were identified as barriers to interdisciplinary collaboration by 80% of participants. Moreover, 54% of those surveyed were unhappy with their research involvement and these individuals were 9% more likely to perceive research as important for their career progression (p=0.046). ConclusionsThis study identifies several important barriers to translational research in Windsor-Essex and suggests that many motivated researchers are unhappy with their current involvement. These results will inform decision making in the research community of Windsor-Essex and provides insight for communities of similar size and research capacity. Ultimately, enabling the translation of clinical research in all communities is required to ensure equitable access to cutting edge care.

Exploring factors associated with research involvement of undergraduate students at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda

Background Early involvement of students in research processes is an important step in professional development and can increase the academic output of the university. Previous studies indicate low research involvement amongst undergraduate students, however limited research has been done in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to describe the level of research involvement amongst undergraduate students at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences (CMHS) at University of Rwanda (UR) and to assess factors associated with research involvement. Methods This cross-sectional study covered the three CMHS campuses. A survey was shared in class WhatsApp groups from July to September 2020. Data were analyzed using Stata IC 16.0 with descriptive statistics and Fisher’s exact test. P-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results In total, 324 students participated with the mean age being 23.3 (standard deviation 2.27). Males constituted 65.1% of respondents vs. 33.3% females. The largest portion of respondents were from the School of Medicine and Pharmacy (46.6%), and Medicine was the most frequent department (33.3%). On a Likert scale from 1 to 10, 60.0% of the respondents thought that research was 10/10 important for undergraduate students, with the mean value being 8.8. Rating their interest in taking part in research during undergraduate studies, 48.2% scored it 10/10, with the mean value being 8.57. 80.3% of respondents had attended a research module, course, or workshop; however, only 48.8% had participated in a research project and 72.0% of them had been involved in data collection. Inadequate knowledge about research processes and lack of mentors were the main barriers to research participation in 48.0 and 40.2% of respondents respectively. Establishment of a UR-Undergraduate research support center (77.2%), and involving students in ongoing UR projects (69.4%) were the most frequent suggestions to improve students’ research participation. Conclusion Undergraduate students at the CMHS in the UR have a large research interest, yet their involvement is currently low. Limited knowledge about research processes and shortage of mentors remains potent barriers to participation. Inviting undergraduate students to partake in ongoing projects and establishing a UR undergraduate research support center are recommended to strengthen undergraduate research experience at the UR-CMHS.

Supporting the Development of Physician-scientists

In the last decade, there has been a discrepancy between the increasing recognition for research involvement in medical training and the stagnation in the number physician-scientists. Health research funding cutbacks, inadequate mentorship, heavy schedules, and unfamiliarity with scientific methodology are obstacles that limit research interest amongst junior medical learners and cause attrition of promising physician-scientist in training. This article outlines five strategies to promote and facilitate the development of physician-scientists with the understanding that research is integral to clinical excellence. Some of the ways the undergraduate and postgraduate medical curricula can better lend themselves to producing clinicians with the skillset to address clinical uncertainties through an evidence-based approach are: partnerships between healthcare and academia, increasing admission to MD/PhD and Clinical Investigator programs, establishing fundamentals of scientific thinking, long-term research mentorship, facilitating knowledge translation.

Inclusive Practices for Neurodevelopmental Research

Purpose of Review Inclusive research practice is both a moral obligation and a practical imperative. Here we review its relevance to the study of neurodevelopmental diversity in particular, briefly describing a range of inclusive research models and justifying their use. The review itself is inclusively co-authored with three autistic collaborators and community leaders who all have extensive experience of research involvement. Recent Findings Drawing on theoretical arguments and specific exemplar projects, we describe six key considerations in the delivery of inclusive research. These are the following: taking the first steps towards inclusive practice; setting expectations; community-specific inclusion measures; inclusion and intersectionality; the role of empowerment; and knowledge exchange for inclusion. Together, these sections provide an illustrated guide to the principles and process of inclusive research. Summary Inclusive research practice is both beneficial to and a requirement of excellence in neurodevelopmental research. We call for greater engagement in this participatory research agenda from grant-awarding bodies to facilitate not just inclusive but also emancipatory research.

Motivating and constraining factors for research participation in Scottish care homes

Background/aims: Knowledge and research about research participation in the context of care homes is sparse. This article describes the level of research engagement for care homes in Scotland, and the facilitators and barriers to this. Methods: A short survey was distributed to care homes in Scotland. A total of 130 care homes returned completed surveys. Results: As of 2014, only 7' of care homes had past or present experience of research. Lack of time and workplace pressures were key obstacles to increasing research within care homes. Respondents recognised that residents could benefit from research but there were also concerns about the risks of research involvement. Conclusions: The survey provides much needed evidence that care homes are being overlooked in research, leading to exclusion of staff and residents. More work is needed to help integrate research into care homes without adding to the demands and pressures of the workplace.