Abstract

Background: Medical research is a tremendously fundamental element toward the improvement of healthcare services and is also considered as an important key in undergraduate medical education. However, little is known about the perceived barriers of medical research. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the possible barriers toward medical research of Saudi medical students and seek the main common reasons faced by medical students during the medical research.
Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among the interns and medical students of 14 universities in Saudi Arabia, making a total sample size of 522 participants aged between 21 and 23 years during the year 2019. An online questionnaire was sent electronically to the participants and consisted of two parts. The first part documented the demographic data, while the second part consisted of multiple questions to accurately assess the participant’s barriers of carrying out research using a 5-point Likert response scale.
Results: The response rate was almost equal among both males (49.8%) and females (50.2%). The highest barrier was lack of access to counsel and appropriate guide in research (3.9 ± 1.08), followed by lack of experience with research methods (3.9 ± 1.07) and not enough (motivating) rewards (3.7 ± 1.06).
Conclusion: The results were fairly comparable to Western studies. Students reported low participation in related activities associated with low knowledge scores. Several other barriers were also addressed, including lack of time, funding, and proper mentoring.

Key words: Medical research, medical education, medical student, research barriers