Assessment of perceptions, barriers and enablers towards uptake of research activities among undergraduate medical students: A mixed methods study

Background Medical research, even though, an integral part of medical education, remains the most neglected domain in the medical curriculum in most medical colleges across India. Research, when introduced in the medical curriculum, gives an early opportunity to medical students to participate in it. We did a study to gain an insight into the perceptions of medical students and explored barriers and enablers towards uptake of research activities. Methods A mixed methods study was done over 9 months using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire and a focus group discussion among medical students. First, a quantitative survey was done using Google forms to assess students perception and attitude towards research. This was followed by 2 focused group discussions to explore the barriers and enablers towards uptake of research activities. Descriptive analysis was done for quantitative data and manual thematic content analysis for qualitative data. Results A total of 350 participants responded to the survey out of which 168 (59.1%) were women. Most students (339; 96.9%) perceived research to be important. Also, 313 (89.4%) and 245 (70%) showed willingness to attend research methodology workshops and conduct research studies, respectively. A manual thematic content analysis of the focus group discussion revealed two main themes: (i) barriers to conduct of research and (ii) enablers towards uptake of research. The major barriers were lack of knowledge about conducting research and lack of time and financial constraints. The enablers were conduct of periodic research methodology workshops and adequate mentoring by faculty. Conclusion There is a gap in the existing knowledge and practice in undergraduate medical research. Our study ascertained potential barriers as well as enablers for enhancing research activities by medical students. Adequate institutional support including funding for research coupled with proper mentoring by faculty and family support is crucial to foster a positive research culture among undergraduate medical students.