APTITUDE BUILDING FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH AT UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL

Abstract

thusiastic response from the academia, played a fundamental role in enhancing the quality of health professionals’ education of undergraduate and post graduate. In the 21st century world quality health professionals’ education development and research capacity development is simply unthinkable. Evidence- based medical practice, policies and strategies have become a necessity of modern health care systems facing complex present and future health challenges. It is a primary obligation of health academic institutions to create the required research capacity among Medical students.
Research is defined as “The allocated process of assembling facts, particulars, figures or detailed study to ascertain and fathom new information that would introduce, alter or terminate present understanding.†Medical research has been elaborating with progressive discerning of disease processes resulting in the breeding of new drug molecules. Today research helps to expand horizons, beget awareness, fine-tune existing theories and enhance treatment. The question of whether a research component should be an essential part of medical curriculum has been debated in the past and is still controversial. Patient care is the most important aspect of a medical graduate but teaching, administration and research are also integral aspects To make ‘importing’ knowledge to indigenous generation of knowledge it is important to expand and grow research based educational program both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.1 Frishman in his paper explains that research experience will improve the skill of students in searching and critically appraising medical literature which will improve the ability for independent learning.2
The pub med survey demonstrates that the medicinal specialists of USA beat the rundown of research distributions, dissimilar to Africa where there is no exploration production by the medical understudies. The Asian figures are mediocre, but among the Asian group Japan antecede India making ample contribution.3 In Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in the US, a mandatory four months research block is included in the school curriculum. During this period, students work fulltime with a mentor identifying research questions, framing research methods, carrying out the research, conducting analysis, and communicating their results in a write up.4 The University of California in US runs the University of California, San Diego Research Associate Program to incorporate undergraduates with emergency medicine research.5 School of Medicine and Dentistry in Queen’s University, Belfast, introduced a new curriculum in the year 2005-2006.6 University of Western Ontario, Canada introduced a rural summer studentship program with instructors in small communities.7 In the Netherlands, students are required to do full-time discrete research projects between years 4 and 6.8 Studies report that some of the medical schools in India, Pakistan and Nepal also conduct research projects and community based epidemiological studies during their studentship and internship though it has not become an utmost necessary part of the medical curriculum.9 A study conducted in GCC countries (which included Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Oman and Yemen) among 30 medical colleges reported that in two colleges research methods are not included in the curriculum, in seven colleges it was a distinct course and in 10 colleges it was part of required course.10 The current undergraduate academic programmers in Pakistan are not producing enough personnel for research purposes in the various medical fields. This curriculum does not motivate students’ interests in research during their study in medical school and hence they are less likely attempt to avail a research experience.11 Good mentorship is a vital component of effective student research. Some of the faculty has lack of experience in research field. Other problems reported are lack of time for viable research, hence it is better to equip the students so that at the time of qualifying they are conversant with various aspects of research methodology. Studies report that participation in undergraduate medical research motivates students to continue further research.12,13
WHO, South East Asia Region meeting suggested that “Field-oriented/field-based research is an important component of the undergraduate training in Community Medicine in all countries. Linking the research activities in community medicine and clinical disciplines was contemplated as a useful approach.14 All institution and research funding agencies must use a certain portion of their budget for promoting student research. Family Medicine department at the University of Colorado, US provide financial support for student research.15
In conclusion, Research system courses at the undergrad level will be useful in sharpening/arranging/drifting therapeutic understudies to examine. Studies demonstrated that the real boundary of incorporating research techniques in the educational modules is the time and volume of substance in the undergrad therapeutic educational programs.