HealthcareProfessionals'Attitudes,Challenges,andPotentialSolutionsforConducting Research: A Mixed-Method Study

Abstract

Objective: To explore healthcare professionals' attitudes toward research, identify key barriers they face, and uncover potential solutions for overcoming these obstacles, as proposed by the professionals themselves. Study Design: Exploratory Sequential Design Mixed method study. Place and Duration of Study: It was conducted from 15th April 2022 to 15th Oct 2022 among health professionals working in tertiary care hospitals of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Materials and Methods: A total of 276 junior to mid-level health professionals were included through nonprobability consecutive sampling. The quantitative part was done using a structured close ended questionnaire regarding research barriers. The SPSS version 24.0 was utilized for statistical analysis of quantitative data. Results: In this study a total of 276 health care professionals were included. Male and female doctors were 144 (52.2%) & 132 (47.8%)respectively. Regarding attitude of research 121 (43.8 %) participants believed that research promotes critical thinking and 116 (42.0%) considered it most helpful to improve patients' care. 133 (48.2%) participants attended research training of minimum 8 hours. The common barriers to research as identified by health professionals are absence of support especially technical guidance, less time allotted for research, less funding opportunities, no proper mentoring or supervision, lack of knowledge and skills about research. Conclusion: Health professionals face several research barriers, including a lack of technical support, time, funding, mentorship, and research skills. The absence of a research culture and logistical support further complicates the situation, leaving them overwhelmed and without time for research. Addressing these challenges is essential for enabling impactful research.

Keywords

• barriers
• health research
• health care professionals
• junior faculty
• solutions.