scholarly journals Support Mechanisms for Research Generation and Application for Post–Graduate Students in Four Universities in Uganda

Author(s):  
Ekwaro A. OBUKU ◽  
Robert APUNYO ◽  
Gladys MBABAZI ◽  
David K MAFIGIRI ◽  
Charles KARAMAGI ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundPost–graduate students world over complete a research thesis in partial fulfillment of their degree requirements. This study identified and evaluated support mechanisms for research generation and utilization for masters’ students in health institutions of higher learning in Uganda. MethodsA self administered cross–sectional survey using a modified Self Assessment Tool for Research Institutions (SATORI). Post–graduate students were requested to encircle the most appropriate response in a Likert scale from 1 where the ‘situation was unfavorable and/or there was a need for an intervention’; to 5 where the ‘situation was good or needed no intervention’. These questions were asked under four domains: the ‘research question’; ‘knowledge production’; ‘knowledge transfer’ and ‘promoting use of evidence’. Mean scores of individual questions and aggregate means under the four domains were computed; and then compared to identify areas of strengths and gaps that required action.ResultsMost of the respondents returned their questionnaires, 185 of 258 (71.7%) and only 79 (42.7%) had their theses submitted for examination. Three of the four domains scored below the mid–level domain score of 3, that is “the situation is neither favorable nor unfavorable”, table 2. Specifically, the domain of “Proposal development for post-graduate research project” had the highest mean score of 3.53 out of the maximum 5. Areas requiring substantial improvements were, priority setting during “Research question identification”, which had the least mean score of 2.12. This was followed by “promoting use of post–graduate research products”, tying at 2.28 mean scores each. The domain, “Knowledge transfer of post-graduate research products”, had an above average mean score that is 2.75.ConclusionsThis study reports that existing research support mechanisms for post–graduate students in Uganda encourage access to supervisors and mentors. Secondly, post–graduate students engagement with research users was limited, as was awareness of intellectual property rights. Views of supervisors and mentors were not captured, a subject for future research.

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
E. A. Obuku ◽  
R. Apunyo ◽  
G. Mbabazi ◽  
D. K. Mafigiri ◽  
C. Karamagi ◽  
...  

Abstract Background A large proportion of postgraduate students the world over complete a research thesis in partial fulfilment of their degree requirements. This study identified and evaluated support mechanisms for research generation and utilization for masters’ students in health institutions of higher learning in Uganda. Methods This was a self-administered cross-sectional survey using a modified self-assessment tool for research institutes (m-SATORI). Postgraduate students were randomly selected from four medical or public health Ugandan universities at Makerere, Mbarara, Nkozi and Mukono and asked to circle the most appropriate response on a Likert scale from 1, where the “situation was unfavourable and/or there was a need for an intervention”, to 5, where the “situation was good or needed no intervention”. These questions were asked under four domains: the research question; knowledge production, knowledge transfer and promoting use of evidence. Mean scores of individual questions and aggregate means under the four domains were computed and then compared to identify areas of strengths and gaps that required action. Results Most of the respondents returned their questionnaires, 185 of 258 (71.7%), and only 79 of these (42.7%) had their theses submitted for examination. The majority of the respondents were male (57.3%), married or cohabiting (58.4%), and were medical doctors (71.9%) from Makerere University (50.3%). The domain proposal development for postgraduate research project had the highest mean score of 3.53 out of the maximum 5. Three of the four domains scored below the mid-level domain score of 3, that is, the situation is neither favourable nor unfavourable. Areas requiring substantial improvements included priority-setting during research question identification, which had the lowest mean score of 2.12. This was followed by promoting use of postgraduate research products, tying at mean scores of 2.28 each. The domain knowledge transfer of postgraduate research products had an above-average mean score of 2.75. Conclusions This study reports that existing research support mechanisms for postgraduate students in Uganda encourage access to supervisors and mentors during proposal development. Postgraduate students’ engagement with research users was limited in priority-setting and knowledge transfer. Since supervisors and mentors views were not captured, future follow-on research could tackle this aspect.


Author(s):  
Roshani Patel ◽  
Bhavna Dave ◽  
Seema Bargale ◽  
Poonacha KS ◽  
Vaishnavi Shah

Introduction: The gag reflex is a usual response for patients, considered to shield the airway and eradicate irritants from the posterior oropharynx and the upper gastro-intestinal tract. Gag reflex is a annoying problem in various dental techniques and may result in a compromised management. If the dentist efforts to recognize the circumstances that trigger disruptive gagging, this may optimize patient care and operational success. Aim: To evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practice regarding gag-reflex in children among post-graduate students of paedodontics and preventive dentistry in India. Methodology: A list of registered Post graduate Students with Indian Society of Paedodontics & Preventive Dentistry was obtained from the office of Indian Society of Paedodontics & Preventive Dentistry. A questionnaire was sent to all the participants through e-mail whose information was obtained from the office of Indian Society of Paedodontics & Preventive Dentistry. The questionnaire was sent twice to each student. A response was awaited for a period of 3 months. Results: 127 Post graduate Students thought that Anxiety and fear was a main reason for gag reflex in children. 233 Post graduate Students thought that during gag reflex there is no change in Pulse Rate of the children. 69 Post graduate Students Always changed or modified their impression technique or impression material in children with gag reflex. 173 (58.2%) Post graduate Students agree with rubber-dam application is useful to prevent gag reflex in children. 275 (92.6%) Post graduate Students did not take gagging severity index (GSI)/gag prevention index (GPI) before treating a child with gag-reflex. Conclusion: The study revealed that Post graduate students of paedodontics and preventive dentistry in India have the knowledge regarding patient’s gag, but their attitude and practice toward the management of the children with gag-reflex is less.


Author(s):  
Rohit Shah ◽  
Rutuja Donde ◽  
Dipika Mitra ◽  
Priyanka Potdar ◽  
Shazneen Kandawalla

Day by day, there is increase in the patient’s aesthetic and functional demands. Along with this there is also an increase in the patient’s awareness about periodontaltreatment outcomes. Hence, failure to provide adequate information and fulfil expected treatment outcomes, complaint and litigation against the periodontists can be filed. Now days, patients are using legal routes to settle their grievances against doctors; hence, knowledge and awareness of medico-legal aspects amongst periodontists have become utmost important. Aim: To assess the knowledge and awareness about medico-legal aspects amongst periodontal post-graduate students in the region of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted using a specially designed pre-validated questionnaire in a total of 100 participants comprising periodontal post graduate students in the region of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.The questionnaire consisted of 15 questions on legal requirements, record keeping, periodontal surgeries and implants treatment specific issues and consent. The data was collected, Chi‑square test was applied to individual questions, analysed, and results were formulated. Results: This survey suggested that there is inadequate awareness regarding medico-legal issues among periodontal postgraduate students. Conclusion: There is an urgent need to conduct more medico-legal awareness programmes and educate our budding specialists and all periodontalcommunity regarding the same. Regulatory bodies like the Dental Council of India (DCI) and associations like the Indian Society of Periodontology (ISP), Indian Society of Oral Implantologists (ISOI)should also formulate standard guidelines/protocol on managing periodontal surgeries and implant patients to help protect against unnecessary litigations against periodontal community. Key Words: medico-legal, litigation, awareness, periodontal surgeries, jurisprudence.


Author(s):  
Mohammed Ngoma ◽  
Abaho Ernest ◽  
Sudi Nangoli ◽  
Kusemererwa Christopher

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate entrepreneurial orientation (EO) as a predictor of internationalisation of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The key research question is “to what extent do the dimensions of EO (innovativeness, proactiveness and risk taking) predict internationalisation of SMEs?” Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a cross-sectional survey to collect data from 282 SMEs, with the use of a multi-dimensional self-administered questionnaire. All the measures in this study were adopted from existing instruments from previous studies and all showed a CVI above 0.8. Data were analysed quantitatively using descriptive statistics, correlations and hierarchical regression. The nature and strength of the relationships between the variables was tested using the zero-order bivariate correlation analysis. Findings The study establishes a significant relationship between the dimensions of EO and internationalisation of SMEs. Research limitations/implications This paper contributes to the corpus of literature on internationalisation of SMEs. Future research should consider the major constructs from a longitudinal point of view given that cross-sectional studies sometimes fail to examine the interaction effect of the variables. Practical implications The paper illustrates how EO dimensions can influence an entrepreneur’s decision to go international especially handling the process of internationalisation and its dynamics. Originality/value The paper provides contextual evidence from a developing country to the effect that as local investors get more inclined to EO, they in the process ease their way to joining the international business arena.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-72
Author(s):  
Sudeshna Bhar ◽  
Anisha De ◽  
Debasish Bhar ◽  
Chiranjib Bhattacharyya ◽  
Suchismita Pal ◽  
...  

Background: Previous studies revealed that the undergraduate medical students have a poor perception about the anaesthesiologists. But, there is paucity of such studies on the postgraduate students. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the perception of the first year post graduate students pursuing anaesthesiology on various professional aspects of this speciality.Methods: A questionnaire-based anonymous cross-sectional survey was conducted on 63 first year postgraduate students of anaesthesiology from seven medical colleges under the West Bengal University of Health Sciences. Data were collected from the students on the day of admission. The questionnaire elicited information on demographic characteristics, functions and health hazards of anaesthesiologists and perception of students about this discipline. The responses were sorted out, coded and analyzed.Results: Involvement in the intra-operative period (84%), critical care (58%), and chronic pain management (40%) were recognized as major functions of an anaesthesiologist. Their role in preoperative and postoperative care was appreciated only by 16% and 18% students respectively. 48% students mentioned ignorance about health hazards associated with practise of anaesthesiology. They considered this discipline stressful, dependent and unrecognised.Conclusions: This study concludes that there exists an inconsistent perception of the roles of anesthesiologists among the new post graduate students. It specifically identifies various potential areas to improve student’s awareness regarding the widespread domain of this discipline.Journal of Society of Anesthesiologists of Nepal 2015; 2(2): 67-72


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex F. Martin ◽  
Sarah Denford ◽  
Nicola Love ◽  
Derren Ready ◽  
Isabel Oliver ◽  
...  

Abstract Background In December 2020, Public Health England with NHS Test and Trace initiated a pilot study in which close contacts of people with confirmed COVID-19 were given the option to carryout lateral flow device antigen tests at home, as an alternative to self-isolation for 10–14 days. In this study, we evaluated engagement with daily testing, and assessed levels of adherence to the rules relating to behaviour following positive or negative test results. Methods We conducted a service evaluation of the pilot study, examining survey responses from a subset of those who responded to an evaluation questionnaire. We used an online cross-sectional survey offered to adult contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases who consented to daily testing. We used a comparison group of contacts who were not offered testing and instead self-isolated. Results Acceptability of daily testing was lower among survey respondents who were not offered the option of testing and among people from ethnic minority groups. Overall, 52% of respondents reported being more likely to share details of people that they had been in contact with following a positive test result, if they knew that their contacts would be offered the option of daily testing. Only 2% reported that they would be less likely to provide details of their contacts. On the days that they were trying to self-isolate, 19% of participants reported that they left the house, with no significant group differences. Following a negative test, 13% of respondents reported that they increased their contacts, but most (58%) reported having fewer risky contacts. Conclusions Our data suggest that daily testing is potentially acceptable, may facilitate sharing contact details of close contacts among those who test positive for COVID-19, and promote adherence to self-isolation. A better understanding is needed of how to make this option more acceptable for all households. The impact of receiving a negative test on behaviour remains a risk that needs to be monitored and mitigated by appropriate messaging. Future research should examine attitudes and behaviour in a context where infection levels are lower, testing is more familiar, and restrictions on activity have been reduced.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3860
Author(s):  
Anna Rita Corvino ◽  
Pasquale Manco ◽  
Elpidio Maria Garzillo ◽  
Maria Grazia Lourdes Monaco ◽  
Alessandro Greco ◽  
...  

Background: In this study, we promote a global approach to occupational risk perception in order to improve occupational health and safety training programs. The study investigates the occupational risk perception of operating room healthcare workers using an Analytic Hierarchy Process approach. Methods: A pilot study was carried out through a cross-sectional survey in a university hospital in Southern Italy. An ad hoc questionnaire was administered to enrolled medical post-graduate students working in the operating room. Results: Fifty medical specialists from seven fields (anaesthetists, digestive system surgeons, general surgeons, maxillofacial surgeons, thoracic surgeons, urologists, and gynaecologists) were questioned about perceived occupational risk by themselves. Biological, ionizing radiation, and chemical risks were the most commonly perceived in order of priority (w = 0.300, 0.219, 0.210). Concerning the biological risk, gynaecologists unexpected perceived this risk as less critical (w = 0.2820) than anaesthesiologists (w = 0.3354), which have the lowest perception of the risk of ionizing radiation (w = 0.1657). Conclusions: Prioritization methods could improve risk perception in healthcare settings and help detect training needs and perform sustainable training programs.


2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 82
Author(s):  
Genevieve C. Gore

Objective – To survey middle managers’ beliefs regarding their participation in shared leadership and their libraries’ practices of shared leadership. Design – Cross-sectional survey. Setting – Twenty-two academic libraries within four-year public master’s level institutions in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Subjects – A total of 115 middle managers were invited to participate; 77 completed the survey for a response rate of 66.9%. Methods – Selected middle managers were contacted by email a total of five times and were invited to complete a Web-based survey composed of three sections. The first section contained 10 statements for rating shared leadership within their own institutions, which they were asked to rate on an eight-point Likert scale from 1 (strongly agree) to 7 (strongly disagree), with 8 as an option for no opinion. The second section used the same scale to rate their levels of agreement with conceptual definitions of shared leadership from Jackson’s Framework. Jackson’s Framework consists of four components for ascertaining levels of shared leadership from both managerial and staff perspectives: accountability, equity, partnership and ownership. The third section invited subjects to provide their own definition of shared leadership. A three-part pretest served to validate the survey instrument. Mean scores were calculated for each statement. Main Results – In the first section, there was the highest overall level of agreement (1.52) with the statement “I am accountable for the decisions within the scope of my responsibility” followed by “I share information with the senior library administration” (1.71). There was the lowest overall level of agreement (3.65) with the statement that “Ideas presented at all levels of staff in the library are equally considered.” In the second section, respondents’ mean scores for Jackson’s definitions of four concepts of shared leadership were 2.62 for ownership, 2.68 for both partnership and equity, and 2.77 for accountability. In the third section, respondents most often linked their definitions of shared leadership with communication, learning and collaboration. Conclusion – Examining middle managers’ perceptions of shared leadership may help us understand organizational trends and capacity for leadership within libraries. Future research could examine shared leadership at levels below middle management as well as the relationship between accountability and shared leadership throughout the organization.


Author(s):  
Robin Lee ◽  
Karen Dahri ◽  
Tim T Y Lau ◽  
Stephen Shalansky

<p><strong>ABSTRACT</strong></p><p><strong>Background: </strong>Few studies have attempted to determine the proportion of Canadian hospital pharmacists involved in clinical research, despite a general consensus that research should be an essential component of a pharmacist’s professional role.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The primary objective was to characterize the involvement in clinical pharmacy research of hospital pharmacists in the 4 health authorities of the Lower Mainland of British Columbia (collectively known as the Lower Mainland Pharmacy Services). The secondary objective was to identify perceived barriers to conducting research.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Pharmacists employed within Lower Mainland Pharmacy Services were invited to participate in an online cross-sectional survey, for completion in August and September 2015. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the results. Groups of survey participants were compared to examine differences in measured outcomes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 534 pharmacists were surveyed, with a response rate of 16% (85/534). Overall, 77% (55/71) of the respondents reported having participated in research, and 87% (62/71) expressed interest in conducting future research. Chart reviews (78%, 36/46) and surveys (41%, 19/46) were the most common study designs used in prior research. Participants self-identified their research-related strengths as literature evaluation (46%, 27/59) and hypothesis generation (44%, 26/59). Conversely, 81% (48/59) of respondents self-identified statistical analysis as a weakness. Most respondents stated that personal satisfaction (82%, 49/60) and the opportunity to learn about disease states (78%, 47/60) were the driving factors for conducting research. The most commonly cited barrier to conducting research was lack of time (92%, 55/60). Opportunities to join existing teams (73%, 44/60) and mentorship programs (70%, 42/60) were identified as the most popular arrangements for encouraging future research.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Most of the pharmacists who responded to this survey reported having participated in clinical pharmacy research, but a lack of dedicated time appears to be a major hurdle to greater research participation. A targeted program increasing exposure to existing research teams and mentorship opportunities is recommended for promoting future research.</p><p><strong>RÉSUMÉ</strong></p><p><strong>Contexte : </strong>Peu d’études ont cherché à déterminer la proportion de “pharmaciens d’hôpitaux canadiens qui contribuent à la recherché clinique, et ce, malgré un consensus voulant que la recherche doive être un élément essentiel du rôle professionnel des pharmaciens.</p><p><strong>Objectifs : </strong>L’objectif principal était d’offrir un portrait de la contribution à la recherche sur la pharmacie clinique des pharmaciens d’hôpitaux des quatre régies régionales des basses-terres continentales de la Colombie-Britannique (appelées collectivement <em>Lower Mainland Pharmacy Services</em>, c.-à-d. services de pharmacie des basses-terres continentales). L’objectif secondaire était de recenser les éléments perçus comme des obstacles à la réalisation de recherches.</p><p><strong>Méthodes : </strong>Les pharmaciens employés au sein des services de pharmacie des basses-terres continentales ont été invités à participer par voie électronique à une enquête transversale qui devait être complétée en août et en septembre 2015. Des statistiques descriptives ont été employées pour analyser les résultats. On a aussi comparé des groupes de participants à l’enquête afin d’examiner les différences entre les résultats mesurés.</p><p><strong>Résultats : </strong>Au total, 534 pharmaciens ont été sondés et le taux de réponse était de 16 % (85/534). Dans l’ensemble, 77 % (55/71) des répondants indiquaient avoir participé à des recherches et 87 % (62/71) souhaitaient faire de la recherche dans l’avenir. L’analyse de dossiers médicaux (78 %, 36/46) et les sondages (41 %, 19/46) représentaient les plans d’étude les plus utilisés par les répondants au cours de recherches antérieures. Les participants ont indiqué que leurs forces en lien avec la recherche étaient leur capacité d’évaluer la littérature (46 %, 27/59) et de formuler des hypothèses (44 %, 26/59). En revanche, 81 % (48/59) ont signalé l’analyse statistique comme leur point faible. La plupart des répondants croyaient que la satisfaction personnelle (82 %, 49/60) et la perspective d’acquérir des connaissances sur les maladies (78 %, 47/60) représentaient les principaux facteurs les motivant à faire de la recherche. Ce qui était évoqué le plus souvent comme un obstacle à la recherche était le manqué de temps (92 %, 55/60). Les occasions de se joindre à des équipes en place (73 %, 44/60) et les programmes de mentorat (70 %, 42/60) ont été désignés comme les dispositions les plus attrayantes pour encourager à poursuivre de futures recherches.</p><strong>Conclusions : </strong>La plupart des pharmaciens ayant répondu au sondage ont indiqué avoir contribué à des recherches en pharmacie clinique, mais le manque de temps réservé pour la recherche semblait être un obstacle important à une plus grande participation aux activités de recherche. Un programme ciblé multipliant les possibilités de fréquenter des équipes de recherche déjà établies et offrant plus d’occasions de mentorat serait une façon de promouvoir de futures recherches.


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