Motivation and Barriers to Research Activities in Clinical Professors in Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, 2019

Research is one of the significant foundations of community development, which requires understanding the capabilities, weaknesses and strengths of programs. This study aimed at investigating the motivations and barri ers to research in clinical faculty members.

This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in clinical faculty members (surgeon and non-surgeon) in Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences using census sampling. Data were collected via Research Barriers Questionnaire (Sotodeh Asl et al.) and Research Motivation Scale (Salehi). Data analysis was done applying Mann-Whitney test and Kruskal-Wallis test.

One hundred thirty-nine individuals aged 40-50 years participated in this study and the participation rate was high (81%). The motivation for research activities was higher in females (59.92 ± 6.38) than males (57.24 ±5.47) (P< 0.05). Major obstacles to preparation and compiling a research project, in both surgeon and non-surgeon groups, were lack of clear research needs (3.68 ± 0.67) and priorities (3.11 ± 0.89) in the university. In project implementation, lack of appropriate space(3.50 ±1.04) was reported as the main problem by both groups. In administrative and management context, little attention to creativity (3.80 ± 0.86) and financial and budget problems (3.27 ± 1.21) were the main barriers according to both surgeon and non-surgeon faculty members, respectively (P> 0.05).

Despite sufficient motivation, organizational and individual barriers affect research activities. These obstacles could be removed by clarifying research priorities, creating a suitable physical space, and solving financial problems.