Pakistani Medical Students' Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Health Research
Author Information
Author(s): Khan Hassan, Khawaja Muhammad Rizwanul Haq, Waheed Abdul, Rauf Muhammad Ameen, Fatmi Zafar
Primary Institution: Aga Khan University
Hypothesis
What is the level of knowledge and attitudes regarding health research among Pakistani medical students?
Conclusion
Medical students demonstrate a moderate level of knowledge and attitude towards health research, which improves significantly with intensive training.
Supporting Evidence
- Mean scores of students were 49.0% on knowledge scale and 53.7% on attitude scale.
- Both knowledge and attitudes improved significantly with increasing years of study.
- 90.3% of students felt confident in interpreting and writing a research paper.
Takeaway
Medical students in Pakistan know a little about health research, but they get better at it as they study more.
Methodology
A cross-sectional pilot study using a pre-tested, structured questionnaire administered to 220 medical students.
Potential Biases
Gender was not a significant predictor of knowledge, but males had higher attitude scores.
Limitations
The study was conducted at one institution, limiting the generalizability of the findings.
Participant Demographics
Mean age of participants was 20.92 years, with 62.6% males and 37.4% females.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.019 for knowledge, <0.001 for attitudes
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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