Research Mentorship Models in Hospital Medicine: A Narrative Review

Aims/Background Mentorship is crucial to research success, but a detailed assessment and evaluation of the different types of mentorship models in hospital medicine have not been conducted. We sought to identify and define research mentorship models in hospital medicine. We also assessed the effectiveness of each model for the identified studies that met this narrative review's criteria. Methods Narrative review of peer-reviewed, USA-published literature on hospital medicine research mentorship. Articles from 1996 to 2023 with selected search terms on hospitalists' mentorship in research were searched in PubMed, Scopus and Embase. Finalized articles obtained from the search were approved by the Society of Hospital Medicine's Research Committee. Results Ten articles published between 2008 and 2023 were identified and assessed by the Society of Hospital Medicine's Research Committee members. Three major research mentorship models were identified: (1) traditional mentor-mentee dyad, (2) peer mentorship, and (3) research coaching. Some hospital medicine groups combined mentorship models. All articles reported successful implementation with positive faculty receptivity and/or research output. However, the studies had small sample sizes and short evaluation periods. Conclusion Hospitalist research mentorship is essential to bolstering and enhancing research in hospital medicine. Further studies with larger samples, extended time frames, those conducted outside the USA, and frequent reassessments are urgently needed to determine the sustained effectiveness of any model.