Involvement of Medical Students and Fresh Medical Graduates of Karachi, Pakistan in Research

Objective: To study the involvement in research, of final year medical students and fresh graduates of Karachi, Pakistan and to identify the factors influencing their interest in medical research. Methods: A cross-sectional, questionnaire based study was conducted in 2007-2008. Five institutes representing the private and public hospitals in the city were selected by cluster sampling. Final year medical students and fresh graduates were included. Descriptive statistics were charted using SPSS v.16 after double data entry. Results: Out of 378, 186 (49%) participants had journal reading habits due to the requirement of their institution. Mostly, 157 (41%) undergraduates had already participated in a research project, however mostly in the field as data collectors or computer work. Institutional influence and speciality of interest was found to be statistically significant factors related to a respondent's interest or involvement in research. (X-2 =9.970, p-value = 0.007). Conclusion: There is keen interest and involvement in research, among final year medical students and fresh graduates of Karachi, Pakistan. However, the factors driving them are based on their university research encouragements and future plans.