Senior Consultant Dentist Suyash Centre for Advanced Dentistry, Nashik Nashik, Maharashtra, India
Introduction: The assessment of the trends in Indian medical research, publication, and innovation culture was conducted through the questionnaire. Author believes that Indian medicine is in desperate need of research and publication, which we either lack or are beginning to do.
Methods: All medical students, graduates, postgraduates, academic instructors, and private practitioners were sent a questionnaire. The questions cover anything from demographics and medical training to research and publication information. Data collection followed by Statistical Analysis using SPSS software.
Results: Author is presenting the preliminary results of the survey as it is still open for submissions. A total of 170 physicians answered the questionnaire, out of whom 14(82.9%) were male and 28(16.5%) were female. 150(88.2%) pursued postgraduate education nationally, compared to 10 (5.9%) who were trained internationally. Only 64(37.7%) of graduates received fellowship training. Most of the respondents were interested in clinical research, followed by medical education and the basic sciences. Only 18(10.6%) received some laboratory research experience, and 37(21.8%) received some basic training in biostatistics and research methodology. Only four were able to secure some sort of research grant, and six were able to secure some patents. Physicians with international training had more publications than fellows with Indian training. The most common reason for the lack of research was the lack of motivation and research attitude by the student/guide followed by lack of infrastructure and appropriate research training.
Conclusion : The results of the present study suggest a recent increase in publishing and research, particularly among doctors with postgraduate or fellowship training. The statistics demonstrate the importance of including the research and publishing years in postgraduate training or as a prerequisite for postgraduate courses or fellowships. Academic or institutional practice both have a significant impact on it. Author wants to comprehend the trends and how they will develop in the future. To assess the systemic changes in Indian medical education, more research is required.
