Comparison of Research Knowledge in Postgraduate Trainees of Clinical and Basic Health Sciences of a Tertiary Healthcare Setup: A Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment

Background: All recent advances in healthcare, including diagnostics, surveillance, management, and disease prevention, have depended on good-quality research that has brought new information to light. Therefore, in Pakistan, it is important to develop good research skills as, for many years, our physicians have relied on research knowledge from the Western world, which does not necessarily provide solutions to a developing country. Considering the gap in research knowledge among young doctors, the study was planned to compare the research knowledge of postgrad trainees of clinical and basic health sciences (BHS) of private tertiary care hospitals in Karachi.

Methodology: A mixed-method study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Karachi. As per the calculated sample size (n=35/group), postgraduate students belonging to BHS and clinical sciences enrolled in research courses were randomly enrolled in the study. Quantitative assessment was carried out by a self-developed questionnaire in which questions regarding the research were asked and qualitative analysis was carried out by interviewing the participants of both groups.

Results: A significant number of participants responded that research was a major part of their coursework, though 20% of participants mentioned that it should be kept as an optional course to participate. When the students were asked the question "Does their supervisor help them with the research?", 21 (60%) participants of BHS responded as "yes", while only 15 (42.9%) participants from the clinical side answered "yes". When it was asked "Does their supervisor have basic knowledge of research", 30 (85.7%) participants from the BHS group responded "yes" (p-value = 0.001).

Conclusion: Both groups had basic knowledge of research and statistical analysis; however, postgraduates from BHS performed better than postgraduates of clinical health science. Postgraduates of clinical health sciences have mentioned that, due to workload and different duty timings, they are unable to participate in research actively. The qualitative assessment highlighted that the students of both sides have been given proper training regarding the research process. Practices of BHS in topic selection and conducting research process seemed to be convincing; however, respondents of clinical science seemed to be unhappy with the practices they followed in their departments.