To improve the quality of research, it is necessary to understand the obstacles to undertaking research. This study aimed to identify: i) internal obstacles to research as considered by faculty members at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences; ii) differences between their viewpoints by gender and professional variables; and iii) the effect of these obstacles on research activity. Six types of obstacle were considered: financial, facility-related, occupational, managerial-organizational, scientific and personal. The study sample consisted of 240 participants selected from all 550 faculty members of the University. Data were collected by self-administered questionnaire; the response rate was 91%. All 6 types of obstacle were considered to affect research activities by most of the respondents, with 90% identifying financial obstacles. There were significant differences by gender, scientific rank, field of study, and holding executive responsibilities but not for durations of work experience. Despite these numerous obstacles to conducting research, respondents did not think their research output was affected. RÉSUMÉ Pour améliorer la qualité de la recherche, il est nécessaire de comprendre les obstacles à la conduite d'un tel travail. La présente étude visait à identifier : i) des obstacles internes à la recherche du point de vue des membres du corps enseignant de l'Université des Sciences médicales de Chiraz ; ii) des différences entre leurs points de vue en fonction des sexes et des variables professionnelles ; et iii) l'effet de ces obstacles sur l'activité de recherche. Six types d'obstacles ont été étudiés : les obstacles d'ordre financier, professionnel, gestionnaire ou organisationnel, scientifique et personnel et en relation avec l'établissement. L'échantillon de l'étude comptait 240 participants qui avaient été sélectionnés parmi les 550 membres du corps enseignant de l'Université. Les données ont été recueillies par auto-questionnaire ; le taux de réponse était de 91 %. La plupart des répondants considéraient que les six types d'obstacles influaient sur les activités de recherche, et 90 % avaient identifié les obstacles financiers. Les différences entre les hommes et les femmes, le grade scientifique, les domaines d'études et le fait d'avoir des responsabilités de direction étaient significatives, contrairement aux années d'expérience professionnelle. En dépit de ces nombreux obstacles à la conduite d'un travail de recherche, les répondants ne pensaient pas que les résultats de recherche étaient affectés.

Problem statement: The aim of the present study was to determine the successful medical students' viewpoints on factors significant to their academic success assessed according to the students' grade point average. In this research the students with the grade point average (GPA) A (17-20) were considered academically successful. Approach: The participants were 30 fifth year successful students (i.e. students with GPA, A) from Shiraz Medical School. The instrument used for the qualitative data gathering was interview. The subjects were arranged into 6 groups of 5 students followed by a discussion on reasons of their success. Five educated tutors coordinated the groups. Results: Categorizing of focus group data was done and 4 general factors including "personal abilities" "attitude, beliefs and motivation", "effort and perseverance" and "supportive factors" were found to be critical to the students' success. It is clear that all factors mentioned by students play an important role in their success in general. The similarities between the results of this study and those of others support the idea that all successful medical students share some common characteristics. Conclusion/Recommendations: The results of this study would help both medical school authorities and instructors to design strategies for more effective education. The results can also help other students to find out what might lead them to more success

The COVID-19 crisis has had a profound effect on higher education, especially medical education due to its sensitive nature, dealing with people’s life and wellbeing. This study presented a crisis management model of how to direct medical education during crises. A qualitative design was used via a focus group among 83 medical education administrators at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Four major challenges emerged regarding medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic including “The health and wellbeing of faculty members and students”; “Spatial constraints”; “Time constraints”, and “Access to resources”. A total of 13 strategies were suggested to tackle the challenges, including virtualization, technological support, empowerment, participation, sharing, helping, integration, compression, omission, flexibility and diversity, severance, protection; and monitoring. For a sustainable educational pathway in medical education, personalized approach to education via the incorporation of technology is essential. This provides opportunities to tackle the issues caused by the crisis, by provision of any time and anywhere approach to education via flexible technologies/platforms adjusted based on the audiences. The scope of crisis management expands not only on individual and academic levels but also on social and global relations.

BackgroundTo evaluate the scientific reasoning in basic science among undergraduate medical students, we established the National Medical Science Olympiad in Iran. In this Olympiad, the drawing of a concept map was used to evaluate a student's knowledge framework; students' ability in hypothesis generation and testing were also evaluated in four different steps. All medical students were invited to participate in this program. Finally, 133 undergraduate medical students with average grades ≥ 16/20 from 45 different medical schools in Iran were selected. The program took the form of four exams: drawing a concept map (Exam I), hypothesis generation (Exam II), choosing variables based on the hypothesis (Exam III), measuring scientific thought (Exam IV). The examinees were asked to complete all examination items in their own time without using textbooks, websites, or personal consultations. Data were presented as mean ± SE of each parameter. The correlation coefficient between students' scores in each exam with the total final score and average grade was calculated using the Spearman test.ResultsOut of a possible score of 200, the mean ± SE of each exam were as follows: 183.88 ± 5.590 for Exam I; 78.68 ± 9.168 for Exam II; 92.04 ± 2.503 for exam III; 106.13 ± 2.345 for Exam IV. The correlation of each exam score with the total final score was calculated, and there was a significant correlation between them (p < 0.001). The scatter plot of the data showed a linear correlation between the score for each exam and the total final score. This meant that students with a higher final score were able to perform better in each exam through having drawn up a meaningful concept map.The average grade was significantly correlated with the total final score (R = 0.770), (p < 0.001). There was also a significant correlation between each exam score and the average grade (p < 0.001). The highest correlation was observed between Exam I (R = 0.7708) and the average grade. This means students with higher average grades had better grades in each exam, especially in drawing the concept map.ConclusionsWe hope that this competition will encourage medical schools to integrate theory and practice, analyze data, and read research articles. Our findings relate to a selected population, and our data may not be applicable to all medical students. Therefore, further studies are required to validate our results.

Background/Objectives Breast neoplasm is one of the most common cancers in Iranian women due to the late diagnosis. Awareness of breast neoplasm and using Breast Self-Examination (BSE) assist in the early detection and treatment of cancer. This study examined the effectiveness of video-based multimedia training versus face-to-face training in awareness of breast neoplasm and BSE and possible factors affecting their effectiveness. Methods This research was a pre-test, a post-test experimental study comparing the knowledge, attitude, and performance of women about BSE across two training intervention groups (face-to-face versus video-based multimedia). The study was conducted at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS), and 100 women between 20 to 60 years old were allocated to each intervention group via multi-stage cluster sampling (n:110). Three valid and reliable researcher-made questioners were used. Data were analyzed using SPSS 24 with independent t-test, paired t-test, and ANOVA. Results Both video-based multimedia and face-to-face training methods significantly increased the participant's knowledge, attitude, and skills about breast self-examination (P < 0.001). In the sub-categories, the results showed that the face-to-face training improved negligence and forgetfulness in applying BSE (P = 0.03) and correcting or modifying the previous knowledge around the issue (P = 0.02). The effect of the video-based method on participants with university education was more than on non-university (P = 0.04). Conclusion Incorporating video-based multimedia training in awareness of breast neoplasm and breast self-examination provides an easy, flexible, and affordable way for detection, particularly considering crisis restrictions. This can be of particular attention in more populated, developing/low-income countries and rural and remote areas to enhance equitable access to training and facilitation diagnosis and treatment if applicable.