Scientific Research Barriers by Gender and Other Characteristics in Physiatry

Evaluating Scientific Research Barriers by Gender and Other Characteristics From the Perspective of Physiatrists in Turkey: A Multicenter Survey Study

The ever-increasing population and life expectancy worldwide lead to a higher prevalence of physical disabilities and diseases, which increases the need for physical medicine and rehabilitation research. In our study, we aimed to evaluate various aspects of the barriers, particularly gender disparities, faced by physical medicine and rehabilitation professionals who wish to conduct scientific research.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Gender Bias; Researcher-Subject Relations
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Research Barriers Scale

Detailed Description

Physicians in physical medicine and rehabilitation must also put in tremendous effort and manage their time meticulously to contribute to scientific research (SR). Research requires knowledge, experience, and institutional support, such as financial incentives, technical facilities, and trained personnel. In this field, research productivity is increasingly important due to the rising prevalence of conditions such as age-related disability and chronic pain, which put pressure on the healthcare system and affect people's quality of life. Turkey's publication productivity in physical medicine and rehabilitation has also increased steadily in recent years, with a significant number of articles published between 2015 and 2020. However, gender disparities in academic leadership positions persist in this field as well, with women lagging behind men in the number of scientific publications. While bibliometric studies are useful for assessing the current state of scientific performance, survey studies are necessary to identify obstacles that deter researchers and increase research productivity. Unfortunately, few studies have used this approach in physical medicine and rehabilitation, and no such study has been conducted in Turkey.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 254

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Mustafa H Temel; Phone Number: +905342714872; Email: mhuseyintemel@gmail.com
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Fatih Bağcıer, M.D.; Phone Number: +905542429042; Email: bagcier_42@hotmail.com

Study Locations

• Turkey
  • Üsküdar
    • Istanbul, Üsküdar, Turkey, 34000
      • Uskudar State Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians who consented to participate in the study.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Being a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician.
• Giving consent to participate in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Not giving consent to participate in the study.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Intervention / Treatment

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialists; Physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists

Other: Research Barriers Scale; This scale was prepared after a detailed literature review and sent to five physiatrists for review and feedback. It consists of 21 items with Likert-type responses and two open-ended questions. It is designed to measure the barriers that individuals or groups face in conducting research. The scale includes a list of potential barriers and asks respondents to rate the extent to which they experience each barrier. Examples of barriers that may be included in such a scale could include lack of funding, limited access to resources or equipment, time constraints, difficulty finding participants or accessing data, institutional or administrative hurdles, and so on.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Research Barriers Scale	This scale was prepared after a detailed literature review and sent to five physiatrists for review and feedback. It consists of 21 items with Likert-type responses and two open-ended questions. It is designed to measure the barriers that individuals or groups face in conducting research. The scale includes a list of potential barriers and asks respondents to rate the extent to which they experience each barrier. Examples of barriers that may be included in such a scale could include lack of funding, limited access to resources or equipment, time constraints, difficulty finding participants or accessing data, institutional or administrative hurdles, and so on.	1 day

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Uskudar State Hospital
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Mustafa H Temel, M.D., Uskudar State Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 15, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): June 15, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 6, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 6, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): April 19, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 10, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 7, 2023
• Last Verified: July 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: Barrier1

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED
• IPD Plan Description: IPD will be shared upon reasonable request by the principal investigator.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No