title: Awareness regarding research skills among clinical and academic post graduate doctors in teaching hospitals of Karachi.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the awareness regarding research skills among clinical and academic post-graduate doctors in teaching hospitals of Karachi.
  
  
  METHODS
  The cross-sectional study was carried out from August to October 2012 in two teaching hospitals of Karachi. Total 92 doctors who were enrolled in academic and clinical post-graduation programmes were included in the study through convenience sampling. Data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire and analysed by SPSS version 20.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of the 92 doctors was 30.4 + 3.4 years; 49 (53.3%) were clinical; and 43 (46.7%) were academic post-graduate trainee doctors. Besides, 74 (80.4%) post-graduate doctors had attended research methodology course during their academic or professional careers. Low level of competence was found regarding various research skills, such as 56 (60.8%) in statistics, 47 (51.09%) in paper preparation, 40 (43.5%) in study design, 39 (42.4%) both in result interpretation and paper presentation, 37 (40.2%) in protocol writing and 35 (38.04%) in sampling technique. Moreover, 68 (73.91%) doctors reported lack of research curriculum (p < 0.001) as reason for low research output in Pakistan.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Post-graduate medical doctors showed positive attitude towards research, but they lacked research skills. They needed training in all aspects of research skills.
authors.forename: Mehr
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fatima
authors.forename: Nosheen
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zehra
authors.forename: Farah
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.forename: Munazza Suharwardy
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Obaid
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000592:standards*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D010154:Pakistan; D011361:Professional Competence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires