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Professional Responsibilities and Personal Impacts: Residents' Experiences as Participants in Education Research
Luke A Devine1, Shiphra Ginsburg, Terese Stenfors
1L.A. Devine is assistant professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, and simulation lead, HoPingKong Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. S. Ginsburg is professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. T. Stenfors is associate professor, Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. T.D. Cil is assistant professor, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. H. McDonald-Blumer is associate professor and Rheumatology Departmental Division director, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. C.M. Walsh is staff gastroenterologist, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, educational researcher, Learning Institute, and scientist-track investigator, Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids); and scientist, Wilson Centre for Research in Education, and assistant professor of paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. L. Stroud is associate professor, Department of Medicine, and researcher, Wilson Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Purpose:
Although the field of medical education research is growing and residents are increasingly recruited to participate as subjects in research studies, little is known about their experiences. The goal of this study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of residents who are study participants in medical education research.
Method:
A phenomenographic approach was chosen to examine the range of residents' experiences as research participants. A maximum variation sampling strategy was used to identify residents with diverse experiences. Semistructured interviews that explored experiences as research participants were conducted with 19 residents in internal medicine, general surgery, and pediatrics at the University of Toronto in 2015-2016.
Results:
The perceptions and experiences of participants fell into two categories. First, participation was seen as a professional responsibility to advance the profession, including a desire to improve future educational practices and a sense of responsibility to contribute to the academic cause. Second, the experience was noted for its personal impact, including benefits (e.g., receiving monetary incentives or novel educational experiences) and risks (e.g., coercion and breaches of confidentiality). The time required to participate in a study was identified as one of the most important factors affecting willingness to participate and the impact of participation.
Conclusions:
Being a participant in medical education research can be perceived in different ways. Understanding the view of resident participants is important to optimize potential benefits and minimize risks and negative consequences for them, thus fostering ready participation and high-quality research.