Willingness for scientific research in health science students

Abstract

Objective: To determine the willingness for scientific research in Chilean health science students. Materials and methods: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, prospective study. The sample consisted of 246 health science students. A 22-item questionnaire on attitudes to research (α Cronbach = 0.895) was conducted using a 5-point Likert scale (1 to 5). Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied. Significance was established at p = 0.05. Results: The questionnaire mean score was 2.7±1.01, which indicated low willingness for scientific research in health science students. The items with the lowest scores were associated with statistical analysis and scientific literature search. The academic program with the highest willingness index was nursing, while occupational therapy and phonoaudiology had the lowest willingness indexes. Conclusions: It is necessary to promote in students the importance of scientific grounding to face health situations.

Keywords

• Attitudes
• research
• students
• health occupations