From Confidence to Completion: Impact of Research Training on Clinician Self-Efficacy and Productivity, and Barriers to Research Translation in Malaysia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63719/johm.v23i1.240Keywords:
research, training, clinician, barriers, confidenceAbstract
Background: Research training programmes are successful in enhancing the self-efficacy of healthcare professionals, yet a critical translation gap persists between educational success and tangible research output. This cross-sectional study evaluates the impact of an institutional ‘Mini Research Camp’ on participants’ research self-efficacy, satisfaction, and productivity, while identifying the specific systemic and individual barriers that influence the translation of training into completed research.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted via an online survey distributed among 25 alumni (45% response rate) who attended the Mini Research Camp (MRC) at Hospital Sungai Buloh between 2022 and 2024 using a census sampling approach. The study analysed shifts in self-reported confidence before and after attending camp, research project status and completion, perceived benefits and barriers, and participant satisfaction. Statistical significance was determined using the paired Wilcoxon signed-rank test, while perceived barriers were identified through multiple-response questions.
Results: Participation resulted in a significant shift in research self-efficacy, as pre-camp data indicated that 68.0% of participants were not very confident or not confident at all, whereas 84.0% reported being somewhat or very confident following the programme. This improvement was statistically significant with a large magnitude of effect (p < 0.001, V = 0, Z = 4.48, r = 0.63). Although overall satisfaction was high at 80.0%, tangible research outputs remained limited. Only 28.0% of participants registered their projects in the National Medical Research Register (NMRR), and only 32.0% reached successful project completion. The most prominent systemic barriers were heavy clinical workloads at 68.0% and a lack of protected research time at 60.0%.
Conclusion: While the initiative is effective at building foundational research confidence, the organisational return on investment is limited by systemic challenges. To maximise research outcomes, healthcare institutions must transition from event-based training toward a continuous support ecosystem that integrates protected research time into departmental policies and provides structured post-camp mentorship.
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