title: Experiences, attitudes and barriers towards research amongst junior faculty of Pakistani medical universities.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The developing world has had limited quality research and in Pakistan, research is still in its infancy. We conducted a study to assess the proportion of junior faculty involved in research to highlight their attitude towards research, and identify the factors associated with their research involvement.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted in four medical universities/teaching hospitals in Pakistan, representing private and public sectors. A pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information from 176 junior faculty members of studied universities/hospitals. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors related to attitudes and barriers in research among those currently involved in research with those who were not.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 41.5% of study subjects were currently involved in research. A highly significant factor associated with current research involvement was research training during the post-graduate period (p < 0.001). Other factors associated with current involvement in research were male gender, working in the public sector and previous involvement in research. Overall, a large majority (85.2%) of doctors considered research helpful in their profession and had a positive attitude towards research; nevertheless this positive attitude was more frequently reported by doctors who were currently involved in research compared to those who were not (OR = 4.69; 95% CI = 1.54-14.26). Similarly, a large proportion (83.5%) of doctors considered research difficult to conduct; higher by doctors who were not presently involved in research (OR = 2.74; 95% CI = 1.20-6.22)
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Less than half of the study participants were currently involved in research. Research output may improve if identified barriers are rectified. Further studies are recommended in this area.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. saniya.sabzwari@aku.edu
authors.forename: Saniya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sabzwari
authors.forename: Samreen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kauser
authors.forename: Ali Khan
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Khuwaja
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010154:Pakistan; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires