Utah Quality Advancement Laboratory Scholars: A Mentorship Program to Support Research and Dissemination in Clinical...

For academic hospitalists, research dissemination remains necessary for advancement and can help quality improvement (QI) and operational goals. Yet, few hospitalists receive research training, and research fellowships are often infeasible. Objective: Support research education in clinical track hospitalist faculty through a 9-month structured mentorship and didactic program.

We describe results of two scholar cohorts (n=8) between 2021-2023. To inform program design, we surveyed all hospitalist faculty on their research interests and barriers. Eight scholars completed pre- and post-program surveys assessing research confidence, program strengths/weaknesses, and academic progress.

Of 58 hospitalists surveyed, 36 (62%) responded. Prior participation in QI (69%) and research (75%) was high though current involvement was lower (36% vs. 39%, respectively). Primary barriers to research were time, funding, and knowledge. Scholars reported more interest in conducting QI (88% [7/8]) than clinical research (25% [2/8]). Scholar projects were 50% QI, 12.5% operational, 12.5% outcomes, and 25% qualitative research; 62.5% (5/8) included residents. Post-program, scholars reported agreement/strong agreement that the program provided career development opportunities and taught them how to conduct quality research. In 4 of 6 domains, scholars reported higher research confidence (p<0.01). During 12-24 months post-program, scholar projects produced 8 abstracts, 2 awards, and a first-author manuscript; half (4/8) of scholars were promoted to associate professor (vs. 17% [8/47] of peer hospitalist assistant professors).

A research mentoring program for clinical track hospitalists is feasible and effective in improving research confidence and productivity. Additional benefits may include assisting trainees and colleagues through a mentorship pipeline.