Research attitudes, barriers, and prior experience: Experience from interns working in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore research productivity and attitudes by Saudi interns. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Interns from two hospitals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia were invited to participate in an online survey. RESULTS: Fifty-seven interns responded to the survey. An accurate response rate is not possible because the invitation email reliably reached only a half of all 400 interns. Fifteen interns (26.3%) presented their research findings at a conference, and seven (12.3%) had managed to publish their findings. The main attractions to research were improving prospects of a successful residency/fellowship match (71.7%) and desire to learn more about the research subject (17%). CONCLUSION: Most interns in our sample expressed interest in being involved in research. The driving forces behind such eagerness, however, remain to be explicitly explored—although the majority of the sampled interns cited improved chances for a successful residency/fellowship match as the main reason.