The Effect of Providing Education-Research Services by Founding a Clinical Research Development Center on the Research Performance of Clinical Faculty Members of Kerman University of Medical Sciences

Evaluating research indicators amongst clinical and basic science faculty members reveals that such indicators are lower in clinical faculty members. Hence, we decided to assess the effect of providing education-research services, by founding a clinical research development center, on the research performance of clinical faculty members of Kerman University of Medical Sciences. In this intervention field study, 66 faculty members of Afzalipour teaching hospital and 45 ones in Shafa teaching hospital were recruited as cases and controls respectively. After founding the research center in cases’ work place, education-research services were provided for two years. The research activities of cases and controls were compared two years before and two years after founding the center. 39 and 33 percent increase were observed in the cases’ total and per capita number of published articles respectively; similar indicators showed 21% and 21.6% decrease in the controls accordingly. The differences between two groups regarding both indicators were significant (P<0.01). Indicator of tutoring in dissertations and the total number and per capita number of presenting abstracts in the congresses showed a higher increase among cases.An increase in the total number and per capita number of accepted research proposals was 76% and 68% in cases and 120% and 122% in controls, respectively. Founding a clinical research center and providing education-research services in clinical faculty members’ workplace has positively influenced their performance and promoted their research indicators. Hence, establishing similar centers in other teaching hospitals is recommended.