Abstract
BackgroundEnsuring that doctors in training acquire sufficient knowledge, experience and understanding of medical research is a universal and longstanding issue which has been brought into sharper focus by the growth of evidence based medicine. All healthcare systems preparing doctors in training for practice have to balance the acquisition of specific clinical attitudes, knowledge and skills with the wider need to ensure doctors are equipped to remain professionally competent as medical science advances. Most professional medical bodies acknowledge that this requires trainee doctors to experience some form of research education, not only in order to carry out original research, but to acquire sufficient academic skills to become accomplished research consumers in order to remain informed throughout their professional practice. There are many barriers to accomplishing this ambitious aim.DiscussionThis article briefly explains why research collaboratives are necessary, describes how to establish a collaborative, and recommends how to run one. It is based on the experiences of the pioneering West Midlands Research Collaborative and draws on the wider literature about the organisation and delivery of high quality research projects. Practical examples of collaborative projects are given to illustrate the potential of this form of research organisation.SummaryThe new trainee-led research collaboratives provide a supportive framework for planning, ownership and delivery of high quality multicentre research. This ensures clinical relevance, increases the chances of research findings being translated into changes in practice and should lead to improved patient outcomes. Research collaboratives also enhance the research skills and extend the scientific horizons of doctors in training.
Highlights
Ensuring that doctors in training acquire sufficient knowledge, experience and understanding of medical research is a universal and longstanding issue which has been brought into sharper focus by the growth of evidence based medicine
Summary: The new trainee-led research collaboratives provide a supportive framework for planning, ownership and delivery of high quality multicentre research
All healthcare systems preparing doctors in training for practice have to balance the acquisition of specific clinical attitudes, knowledge and skills with the wider need to ensure doctors are equipped to remain professionally competent as medical science advances
Summary
How to establish a research collaborative There is some evidence in the literature of how to start (and successfully complete) a collaborative project [17], but this tends to come from personal experience rather than systematic studies. Regional National Health Service (NHS) based research networks support a large infrastructure of research nurses within local hospital trusts These two groups of university and health service staff have invaluable experience of delivering successful studies. Teams will include at least one person who: keeps focus and engages members (coordinator), brings drive and momentum (shaper) knows people and the context (resource investigator) brings in-depth technical skills and knowledge (specialist) solves problems creatively (plant) plans and efficiently delivers (implementer) adapts and contributes (teamworker) works logically and impartially (monitor-evaluator) maintains quality (completer-finisher). The rapid emergence of parallel general surgical research groups across the UK led to the formation of the National Surgical Research Collaborative, an umbrella network whose first project was a national prospective snapshot audit of appendicectomy outcomes This trial recruited 3326 patients from 95 centres and was published in the British Journal of Surgery [37]. Author details 1Primary Care Clinical Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK. 2West Midlands Research Collaborative (WMRC), Birmingham, UK
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