Do medical interns publish findings of compulsory audit or research projects? Five-year experience from a single centre in New Zealand

Abstract

Introduction: There is a paucity of literature on research outputof Australasian interns. We have previously shown great interestamong interns rotating in our department to publish or presenttheir findings from an audit or research project (ARP). The aim ofthis study was to examine the output of the intern ARP.Methods: ARP titles over a five-year period were searchedin academic databases. We compared the output rate from ourinstitution to a rate estimated a priori from previously publishedliterature.Results: A total of 186 ARPs were conducted over the studyperiod. Of these, only two were published (one original articleand one letter) and one was presented at a national conference.The observed productivity rate was significantly lower than thatof the estimated rate (χ2=4.49, P=0.034).Conclusion: Despite potential limitations, our study remainsthe largest study to report on intern research productivity inAustralasia. It provides evidence of the need for improvement inand encouragement of research conducted by junior doctors.

Keywords

• medical interns
• research projects
• compulsory audit