A Capacity-building Pilot Program to Increase Critical Care Research Productivity in the Middle East Region

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Objective Though research is well established in the developed world, it lags behind in developing countries. We describe a multi-disciplinary, structured, mentor-based program that aimed to improve research skills and increase research productivity among critical care practitioners in the Middle East region. Results The program was conducted between October 2016 and September 2017, and enrolled 11 critical care practitioners (5 pharmacists and 6 physicians) with minimal research experience from 5 countries (Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Egypt, and Sudan).The program addressed three major factors that contribute to low research productivity in developing countries which include: lack of research knowledge and skills, lack of mentorship, and poor preparation of manuscripts. It started with a research proposal workshop and ended with a manuscript writing workshop, with monthly webinars throughout the year about research-related topics. The faculty consisted of 10 clinical instructors, among whom 7 also served as mentors, a biostatistician, and a medical editor. By the end of the program, 7 research projects and 5 manuscripts were completed. According to the program evaluation, participants agreed that the program improved their research skills and the quality of their research.</jats:p>

Health research mentorship in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review

“…The characteristics of included studies are presented in Appendix IV. The included sources were published between 2009 and 2021, 2,5,8,9,16–88 and most (n=57, 74%) were published from 2017 onward. The majority of the papers were from Africa (n=28) 8,17,18,24,33–35,37,41–44,46,48,50,51,53,57,59,61,62,65,66,68,79–81,85 .…”

“…The majority of the papers were from Africa (n=28) 8,17,18,24,33–35,37,41–44,46,48,50,51,53,57,59,61,62,65,66,68,79–81,85 . Others were from the Americas (n=7), 29,49,69–72,83 South East Asia (n=4), 30,64,67,78 Eastern Mediterranean (n=2), 56,82 and Western Pacific (n=2) 58,88 regions according to the World Health Organization regional classification 89 . A total of 26 studies and reports were from LMICs 2,5,9,19,20,23,26,28,31,32,36,38,39,45,47,54,55,60,63,73–77,86,87 that included at least 2 regional offices, whereas 8 studies and reports were from around the globe 16,21,22,25,27,40,52,84 and included both LMICs and HICs.…”

“…All of the included studies and reports documented research mentorship practices, with varying approaches and scope of practice. Training workshops, discussion forums, panel sessions, virtual sessions, face-to-face meetings, webinars, and e-mentoring were strategies reported to help build research capacity to design research studies, develop proposals, improve scientific writing and publication of manuscripts, identify grants, and develop mentorship processes for research capabilities 2,5,8,20,27,30,46,48,52–54,56,59,63,67,76,79,80,82,85,86,88 …”

“…Studies included in this review reported that improved research knowledge and skills contributed to accessing research funding, exposure to networks, consortia and collaborative opportunities on a global scale; and improved mentor–mentee collaboration that motivated junior researchers. Concrete outputs included improved quality of research outcomes in terms of the number of abstracts accepted for oral presentation; number of scientific outputs in peer-reviewed journals; number of research grants developed and funded; and improved institutional capacity in research dissemination and grants management 2,17,18,24,25,27,28,30,39,40,44,45,48,49,55,56,63,70,73–75,77,82,84,88 …”

“…Delays in procurement and research regulatory processes subsequently delayed students’ projects. Similarly, mentees mentioned challenges of limited i) infrastructure and mentors to support basic science research projects, ii) physical office space for doctoral students and their mentors, iii) skills in budgeting and finance management, and iv) communication skills, including conflict resolution. Nazer et al , 56 2019 A 1-year, multidisciplinary, structured, mentor-based interventional program (from research proposal to manuscript writing workshop) and monthly webinars The program improved research knowledge and skills, and quality of the research, with 7 research projects and 5 manuscripts completed Neupane et al , 74 2021 33 authors representing 24 papers responded and were invited to prepare manuscripts. 22 authors from 7 countries were then invited to participate in a scientific writing workshop held in Atlanta; 21 authors attended.…”