The inclination of undergraduate students at King Edward Medical University towards research and its perceived barriers and facilitators; a cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION: Research participation by medical students in the early years of their medical studies can change their attitude towards research conduction in the years to come. To identify the shortcomings in our system, it is essential to determine the perception, tendencies, and knowledge of Pakistani medical students about the field of research. METHODS: This survey-based cross-sectional study was conducted at KING EDWARD MEDICAL UNIVERSITY, Lahore with 305 MBBS students. The relevant data for the study was collected in the shape of a pretested, semi-structured questionnaire assembled in the form of google form. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) version 16. RESULTS: 36.7% of the final year students have conducted research, however, the percentage comes down to 0% and 10.6% for 1st and 2nd year respectively. 50.6% of the final year students claimed they had a good grip on the steps involved in the conduction of research while the percentage for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year was 7.1%, 21.3%, 20.9%, and 51.2% respectively. More than 70% of the participants from each year considered research as an important help for critical thinking and improvement in patients’ care. DISCUSSION: The reasons for the interest of the students in research as indicated by our study include improvement in the professional standards, help in becoming a better self-directed learner, and opportunities for team-based learning via research conduction. Academic overload, lack of structured research training, and difficulty in publishing are the biggest barriers to the conduction of research as recognized by our study. CONCLUSION: Conduction of research seminars, organizing platforms for communication between students and teaching staff, restructuring of the medical curriculum, and providing students with the required technical staff can help us overcome these hurdles.