Abstract
BackgroundMany medical research projects encounter difficulties. The objective of this study was to assess the self-reported frequency of difficulties encountered by medical researchers while conducting research and to identify factors associated with their occurrence.MethodsThe authors conducted a cross-sectional survey in 2010 among principal investigators of 996 study protocols approved by the Research Ethics Committee in Geneva, Switzerland, between 2001 and 2005. The authors asked principal investigators to rate the level of difficulty (1: none, to 5: very great) encountered across the research process.Results588 questionnaires were sent back (participation rate 59.0 %). 391 (66.5 %) studies were completed at the time of the survey. Investigators reported that the most frequent difficulties were related to patient enrollment (44.3 %), data collection (26.7 %), data analysis and interpretation (21.5 %), collaboration with caregivers (21.0 %), study design (20.4 %), publication in peer-reviewed journal (20.2 %), hiring of competent study personnel (20.2 %), and getting funding (19.2 %). On average, investigators reported 2.8 difficulties per project (SD 2.8, range 0 to 12). In multivariable analysis, the number of difficulties was higher for studies initiated by public sponsors (vs. private), single center studies (vs. multicenter), and studies about treatment, diagnosis or prognosis (i.e., clinical vs. other studies).ConclusionsMedical researchers reported substantial logistical difficulties in conducting clinical research.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12874-016-0151-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Evidence-based medicine [1] and clinical research are positively valued by health care professionals [2,3,4,5], many of whom engage in research [6,7,8,9] alongside their clinical activity, in many countries [7, 8] and in Switzerland [6]
The present study describes difficulties experienced in the course of a specific study by a broad sample of medical researchers at a Swiss university hospital
Patient enrollment and logistical problems topped the list of difficulties
Summary
The numbers of medical researchers [13, 14] and the number of applications for scientific career awards and for research funding have been decreasing over the past three decades, notably in the United States, Finland and Sweden [15,16,17]. This gap between the necessity of medical research and the limited ability of doctors to conduct medical research suggests the need to better understand the difficulties encountered by medical researchers
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