The involvement of clinicians in medical education research

Medical education, like other forms of professional preparation, is a complex and demanding process, which can benefit enormously from careful research. Although such research can be conducted by researchers from outside medical education, there is also a clear need for clinicians to participate in such research and conduct studies that can draw upon their experience and insights. However, despite recent endeavours to involve clinical educators in such research, there are very few published articles reporting research conducted by such individuals.

To explore the factors that impact upon clinicians' engagement in medical education research.

Interview data, concerning potential involvement in medical education research, were gathered directly from 20 clinicians. A detailed systematic analysis was conducted on the interview transcripts.

Three general themes emerged from the interviews, all of which relate to clinicians' engagement in medical education research. They are: (a) effective leadership, (b) promoting professional growth, and (c) all-encompassing support.

The study shows that there is a need for clinical leaders with inspirational qualities to drive research in medical education. Also, clinicians need better training in educational research methods and more funding is needed to support this type of research.