Current status and training need of scientific research of students graduated from hanoi medical university in 2020 2021 and some related factors

A cross-sectional study on 842 medical students who graduated from Hanoi Medical University in order to describe the cunent status and training needs of scientific research of graduates

Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, and all the teachers of the Hanoi MedicalUniversitywho have taughtandguided me for the past 4 years of study

With deep respect and gratitude I would like to sincerely thank mysupervisor Le Xuan Hung, MSc Lecturer in the Department of BiostatisticsandMedical Informatics of Hanoi Medical University for directly guiding me throughout conducting researchand completing my thesis

To conduct this thesis, I wouldalsolike tothank my friend Nguyen Thi Thu

Ha for enthusiastically helping me in the process of developing the questionnaứe and collecting data

Finally I would also like to express my deepestandmost sincere gratitude to

my parents, siblings and friends who have always been by my side to encouragehelpme.andshare difficulties throughout learningandcompletingthis thesis

Hanoi May 14*2021

StudentNgoc AnhNguyenNgoc Anh

never published

I take responsibility for the results presented in this thesis

Hanoi May 14*2021

StudentNgocAnhNguyen NgocAnh

3 CHAPTER LOVERVIEW

11

1.1 I

1.1.2

1.1.3

1 1 4

1.1.5

3

Scientific research

Scientific researchcompetencies Evidence-based Medicine (EBM)

Scientific article Graduation thesis

3 4 4 4 3 1 2 The current status andtraining needs of scientificresearchin the world and \ let \ am 5

12 1 In the world 5 1.2 2 InViet Nam 6

I 3 Some factors relatedto the cunent status of scientific research 7 1.3.1 Gender 7

1.3 2 Thelevel of supervisor's participation 7

1.3.3 Research products 8

1.3.4 Trainingprogramsofscientific research 9

1.3.5 Evaluation factor 10

1.3.6 Impactfactor 10

1.3.7 Medical innovation policies 11

1.3.8 Some otherbanters .12

1 4 Training needs of scientific research 13

1 5 Scientific research skills 14 16 Assessment of scientificresearch skills 16

1 7 Studies on the current status and training needs of scientific research of medical students 17

1.7.1 Current status of scientific research 17

2.2.2 Researchlocation 212.3 Sample size and sample selection method

2.3.1 Samplesize

2.3.2 Sampling method

Research design and process

Data collection methods and tools

2121222222

Errors and mitigation

Statistical method and dataanalysis

Research ethics

333333

CHAPTER4 DISCUSSION

35

4146

• «

4.1 Cunent status and training needs of scientific research of graduates from

484.1.2 Training needs of scientific research

4.2 Analyzingrelated factors to the cunentstatus of scientific research of graduatesfrom Hanoi MedicalUniversity 49

HMU Hanoi Medical University

Table 2-2: Some factors related to scientific research skills 29

Table 3-2: Describe the average score of researchskillsby year of graduation 36Table 3 -3: The demand for trainingcontent of scientific research courseby year of

Table 3-4:The need to increase training content of scientific researchcourse byyear of graduation 38Table 3-5:Theneed of trainingmethod of scientific research courses by war of graduation 39Table 3-6: The need of evaluationfonn of scientific research courses byyear of

Table 3-7: Scientific productsbywar of graduation 42Table 3 -8: Some factors relatedto the average score of research skill 44

Figure 3-1 The average score of scientific research skills 35Figure 3-2 The needoftrainingcontent of scientific research course 37Figure 3-3 The level of the supervisors'participation in parts of the research 41Figure 3-4 Scientific products 42Figure 3-5 Theaveragescore of some barriers 43

Tóm tít

Nghiêncứu cát ngang trẽn 842 sinh viên y khoa đà tổt nghiộplọi tnrờng Dụihọc Y Hà Nội nhằm mô ta thirc trang vànhu cầu đáo tạo về Nghiên cửu khoa họccua sinh viên dà tốt nghiệp trường Dại học Y Ha Nội nám 2020-2021 vá phan tíchmột so yếu tó liên quan Kết qua cho thấy điếm trungbinh cua kỳ nảng “Phin tích

dù liệu và sứ đung cõng cụ phân tích” lá thấp nhà (2 94=0.65), trong đó nhóm tốt nghtèp nảtn 2020 (2.99x0.60) cao hun nhôm tỗt nghiộp nàm 2008-2019(290=069) Nhucẳu táng đào tạo về thực hãnh ở nhỏm tot nghiệp nám 2008-2019 (38%) cao hơn nhóm tot nghiệp nâm 2020 (17.39%) Ty lộ nhu câu “khuycn khíchsinh viên thực hiộn va xuãt ban bai báo khoa học” ư nhom tốt nghiệp nám 2008-

2019 (31 32%) thấp h<m nhom tốt nghiộpnăm 2020 (38.26%) CácSự khác biệt trên đều có ỷ nghía thống kẻ vói p<005Giói tính, năm tót nghiộp san phôm khoa học

vàinửc độ tham gia cùa giang viên là một sỗ VCU tốlién quan tới kỳ nâng nghiêncitu khoa học Chương trinh đảo lụo vỉnghiêncúu khoa học nên theo cách tỉép cýn tòng thê dựa trẽn ba trụ cột: (I)chương trinh giang dạy cot lồi về khoa hộc, (ii)các

du annghiên cưu ngoụi khóa, và (ill) cácchuông trinh nghiên cứu dặc biỹtdanhchosinh viênquan tàm nhiêuđến nghiêncửu y học

Từ khóa: ẢỴ' nàng nghiên cừu khoa hục sinh viền V khoa, rốt nghiệp đại học nhu cầu dào lựu.

A cross-sectional study on 842 medical students who graduated from Hanoi Medical University in order to describe the cunent status and training needs of scientific research of graduates from Hanoi Medical University in 2020-2021 andanalyze some related íãctors The results show that the average score of the skill

’Data analysis and using analysis tools is the lowest (2 94=0 65) in which the group graduated in 2020 (2.99=0,60) is higher than the group graduating in 2008-

2019 (2 90=0 69) The needto increasepractical trainingin the group graduating in2008-2019 (38%) is higher than the group graduating in 2020 (17.39%) Thepercentage of demand for "encouraging students to conduct and publish scientific articles" in the group graduating in 2008-2019 (31 32%) was lower than the groupgraduating in 2020 (38.26%) The above differences are statistically significantwith

p <0.05 Gender year of graduation, scientific products, and supervisor’sparticipation level are related to research skills Training in scientific research should followa holistic approach based on threepillars (i) core science curriculum(ii) extracurricular research projects, and (iii) special stud)’ programs for students with astronginterestin medical research

Keywords: Skills, scientific research, medical students, graduates framing needs.

Scientific research is an integral part of the development of medicineespecially when the concept of evidence-based medicine (EBM) is increasinglyconcernedatKÌwidely used Thus,scientificresearchplays a more and more critical role in the development of medicine1- Besides that , die EBM isprimarily based on scientific research results So medical students need to have a good understanding

of scientific research to correctly interpret the research results and thereby makegood care decisions for their patients5

Scientific researchactivities can help medical students develop the necessary skills (problem-solving; information retrieval, data collection and criticalevaluation) and successfully implement EBM practice in a clinical setting41 Therefore, in recent years, several medical schools in the world and Vietnam have beenpromoting students to participatein research through many scientific productssuch as scientific articles, graduation theses, etc.; to meet the output standards of medicalstudents' research competency5

Several studies around the world showed that many medical students do not meet the requirements of scientific research skills, especially statistics10 According

to a cross-sectional study in Saudi Arabia it found that the majority of recent medical graduates had poor knowledge scores (83 1%); Only about 1 3 of the participants correctly answered questions about the components of scientificresearch (34 2%), abstracts (33 5%) definitions of scientific hypotheses (37 3%)the objectives of the study (36.5%)u In addition most of the participants in thisstuds- were looking forward to providing additional research projects (74.1%)participating in mentored research (78 1%) and providing courses on researchmethods (71.7%)

Some other studies showed low results on writing skills and publishingarticles among medical students even though those skills are criteria for

postgraduate evaluation17 Iu 2019 Srivani Pallampaiứiy and Asha Basavareddvconducted a study on barriers to research among medical students The results indicated about60% dueto the lack of dedicated guidance from the faculty duringthe trainingprocess And a supervisor significantly influences students'positiveattitudes towardsresearch1 According to Nahla et al studs some barriers such aslack of time topractice research (74 3%) lack of motivation to study’ (61%) are also factors affecting the scientific researchskillsof medical students Some otha studies showed that teaching methods affect student s creativity and students lackcomputerand English proficiencyskillsU4’U.

Several studies have been conducted on this topic in Vietnam but not focus

on evaluating the scientific skills of graduated medical students These studies alsodid not mention the supervisor participantlevel xn parts of the research In addition, more and more universities and especially medical universities have been orienting

to become research universities after the government decree was issued Thisrequires universities to ensure the quality of training and increasepublicationwithhigh quality And the human factor plays an important part To clarify’ the above issue, wedecided to conduct this study at Hanoi Medical University

With the following two objectives

I Todescribe the current status and training needs of scientific research

of graduates from Hanoi Medical University

2 Toanalyzerelafcd factors to the cunent status ofscientific researchofgraduates from Hanoi Medical University

CHAPTER I: OVERVIEW1.1 Some related concepts

111 Scientific research

"Scientific research is a strict process consisting of manystages, many operations,and many different requirements"1* According to Letranọois (1991) “Scientific research is any systematic, and coherent activity that includes a methodology suitable for a problem system to understand a phenomenon, explain the phenomenon, and discover a rule number Scientificresearch is a place of contrast betweentheoreticalpresuppositionsand reality as if isperceived."

112 Scientificresearch competencies

According to A Sebarova the scientific research capacity is an open, andconstantly developing system, which includes expertise and process knowledge inthe research, individual attitudes and readiness: In general like all other competencies, scientific research capacity includes three main components knowledge skills and attitudes’- In which Knowledge Knowledge andunderstanding including specialized knowledge; knowledge of scientific research methods Skills Skills include research skills, research data collectionskills skills

in data analysis, and use of analytical tools scientific critical and critical skills;scientific reasoning skills scientific report writing skills; Attitude: Attitude includes, enthusiasm, passion for science, sensitive to happening events (scientific phenomena), objective honest serious persistent, careful when working, a spirit of cooperation sharing science

Some other views say that scientific researchcapacity includes The ability todetectand solveproblems, observation capacity, creative capacity, ability to read and find infomation thinking capacity research proposal design capacity ability to write scientific reports: ability to defendscientifictopics1*

Research competencies are an important university competency the output standardrequirement for medical students is to be able to carry out scientific research

Graduate medical students need research competence to provide evidence-based practice and be able to participate in the design anddevelopment of research These competencies should be optimallyachieved by conducting research and publishingresearch articles during university training1

1 1.3 Evidence-based Medicine (EBM)

Currently, the practice of medicineislargelydependenton the use of EBM EBM is the conscientious clear prudent, and rational use of the best, modem evidence tomake decisions about the care of individual patients EBM integrates clinical experience and patient value with the best research information available EBM requires new clinician skills, including effective literature search and application of formal rules of evidencein evaluating the clinical literature'8

I 1.4 Scientificarticle

A scientific article is a report on the researchresults of a certain person or group ’ The scientific article must be a scientific work containing new research results suitable to the specialty for which the title is registered; the article must bepublished in one of the prescribed specialized scientificjournals Scientific articleis

an article with scientific content published ina scientificjournal that has passed the peer-reviewed system of the journal*5

II 5 Graduation thesis

It is usually completedin the final year of study and the topic ischosen based on the student's area of interest It allows students to explore a narrow topic with moredepth than a traditional module Students work with a single supervisor selectedfrom their subject faculty who provides guidance and support throughout the study21

1.2 The current status and training needs or scientific research in the world and Viet Nam

1.2.1 In the world

In 2009 Susanne Pruskil and her colleaguesconducted a study on 147 fifth - year medical students from the Charite University Medical Center Berlin inGermany to assess their epidemiological and statistical knowledge The results showedthat the mean X standard deviation scoreon the MCQ test was 17.S X 42*'

The results of a studs' conducted 9 on medical students of a medical schoolinEgypt showed low average knowledgescores on six questions only 42 3%(128 out

of 420) were able to correctly identify a clinical research concept and only 18.6%(78 out of 420) were ableto distinguish the necessary partsof a scientific paper5

A cross-sectional study in five Saudi universities found that 44.3% of medical students did not know how to conduct scientific research 4 In 2018Antonius Buscher andhis colleagues on scientific competence in medical students

in Germany, the results of their self-assessment of their scientific competence werenot satisfactory: especially in statistics andscientific writing13

Research by Chen et al., results show that Chinese students thought biostatistics was a very difficult skill consisting of abstract concepts, manyformulas, and strong logical components, closely related to mathematics35 Thisstudy’ showed the lack of statistical competence of medical graduates and their limited ability to applytheir statistical knowledge in practice*3 Due to their lack of understanding of health statistics, these students lack the necessary skills toapplystatistical design and analysis As a result they often misuse statistical methods This inadequacy’ led to the failure of their work to be accepted and publishedbecause it did not meet scientific standards

Research by Nahla Khamis R Ibrahim and colleagues at King Abdulaziz University’ Saudi Arabia showed that the majority of medical students and recent graduates (83 1%) have poor knowledge scores(244=1 96) only 13 8% and 3.1%

achieved good and satisfactory knowledge in which, only about one-third of the participants correctly answered the questions about the components of the scientific research(34.2%), the summarycontent (33 5%) and the definition of the scientifichypothesis, study (37.3%), the goal of the study (36.5%) and characteristics of agood clinical trial (37 8%)u

The results of a study on scientific research skills of medical students in the

UK showed that less than half of them (43.5%) were skilled in the design anddevelopment of research proposals while 56.5% expressed a need for further training"* Article writing and abstracting skills as well as publishing practice, are low among medical students, although those skills are used as graduate criteriawhen selected for jobs'-2

1.22 In Viet Nam

According to the research results of Nguyen Thi Xuan Huong most university students were still confused and have not performed proficientlyspecifically in the group -Skills to select research problems", students had manydifficulties in the selection of the problemis both scientific and practical Struggling not toknow how to name the topic appropriately: In the group "Skills to develop research outlines", students were still confused in determining research purposes, building scientific hvpotheses projecting content research methods etc About

“Skills for collecting and processing information", students were not proficient inselecting research samples drafting survey tools, etc According to lecturers 15%

of lecturers thought that itwas good 40% was at a good level good 40% moderate and 5% weak This result showed that the students-scientificresearch skills are not high, and the research quality is not good""

The majority of students are aw are that training in scientificresearchskills is necessary (65% think it's necessary 35% think it’s less necessary ) But when asked about the meaning and effect of practicing scientific research skills, most of them

were confused or couldnot answer This shows that most students are notaware of the importance of practicing scientific researchskills2

1.3 Some factors related to the current status ofscientificresearch1.3.1 Gender

Research by author N.K Ragab Ibrahuu et al reported that there was no statistically significant difference (p> 0.05) between scores on research skills and gender4 However, a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey conducted at anIndian medical school showed a difference between the total knowledge scores of sophomores based on gender1•'

1 3 2 The level of supervisor’s participation

Research by Srivani Pallamparthv and Asha Basavareddy shows thatnearly59% of students agree that the lack of encouragementirom lecturers is the biggestbarrier to participating in scientific research1' Some studies from Arab countries Canada and Pakistan have also found about research barriers that a few students feel a lack of encouragement from their lecturers because most students think thatthere is sufficient motivation and support from the lecturer to doing research1’’According to the results of a study (2019) the time of most lecturers in universities

is devoted to education, that IS why the majority of lecturers at universities indeveloping countries spend little time on research4 According to a similar survey

by L’nnikrishnan et al faculty members spendonly 1 -5 hours per weekonresearchactivities with students because of their busy schedules of work, teaching, andclinical practice4 Student development of a positive attitude towards research andfuture research professions is significantly influenced by the presence of enthusiastic research-oriented teachers who specialize m Extensive research andskillful teaching ability Teachers—as passionate instructors, role models valued mentors, and ambassadors of scientific research are predicted to draw students'growing interest in research, shedding light on Its integral relevance incontemporary medicine encouraging a research-focused career and addressing any

research-related impediment on the students Side Unfortunately, such lecturers are not present in many medical schools and universities - an issue that should berevisited by medicaleducationcouncils1

In a cross-sectional survey of British medical students from seven medicalschools in the UK only 49% of students were involved in a researchproject; out of

515 medical students, only 88 students submit papers for scientific meetings, only a small percentage of British medical students submit papers for publication andpresentation at conferences1 As a result of an Indian study on medical students only 16 0% of current study participants wrote scientific papers-* In another studs’ conducted by Ibrahim and colleagues in Saudi Arabia, only 5.8% publishedscientific papers-’

The results of a studs' in Germany showed that the majority of medical students agreed that even* student should undertake a research projectduring theirmedical studies'’ Students who completed somescientific research product foundthemselvesto have more experience inwritingand information gatheringskillsthanstudents who took a lecture-based course or elective basic skills : Participating in practical research activities will help them inculcate critical thinking, reasoningskills and develop a more positive attitude towards scientific research later on than students who only attend the traditionalcourse in the universin’ medical curriculum especially in terms of equipping medical students with unting and information

retiiex'al skills' ỉn addition Lofgren andOhlsson havefound a positive effect of the dissertation writing experience on studenK’ preparation for further research projects5.

1 3 4 Training programs of scientific research

All over the world, medical schools are striving to meet the essentialrequirements and core competencies for scientific research that all medical students must have at the end of theirstudies’0

Most medical schools have some research-relatedclasses orcourses in their curriculum (be it clinical epidemiology, statistics, or research design)'1 Mostmedical schools in the United States biostatistics, epidemiology preventive health demographics and health informatics, are taught in the first orsecond year for morethan one semester’’ At the university At • Ziauddm School in Pakistan, coursesinepidemiology; biostatisticS; and survey methods are taughtduring the firsttwo wars

of medical school'1* In South Africa biostatistics and research methods are taught

in years 1 and 2 With further reinforcement practiced in wars 3 and in someuniversities and at 44 medical schools in Turke}’, biostatistics is usually taught in the first yea?*

In Germany, during the second war of study for medicalstudents atChariteUniversity Berlin, there were lectures and seminars on basic research methods" During the fourth semester RMC students must undertake a 4-week individual research project in one of the faculty's facultiesand write a scientific report Duringthe seventh semester, the}’ took part in a mandatory weeklong seminar on the principles of the scientific methodin medicine At the end of this semester students must passa multiple-choice test(MCQ) In the fifthwar students were inưoduced

to major public health issues, epidemiology, and EBM in eight 90-minute lectures including a multiple-choice test (MCQ) at the end of the final lecture A 5-day module then begins with a session on the strengths and weaknesses of key epidemiological, and medical study designs, followed by the development of

cohort or case-control study design and critical evaluation of a randomizedcontrolledtrial

13.5 Evaluation factor

Assessment is the most important driving force for learning, so anassessment process should also be incorporatedto evaluate the research activities ofmedical students Students at the University of Malaysia Sarawak are required toundertake research projects during their second academic year'3 In Amsterdam (Netherlands) Academic Medical Center (AMC), EBM and research skills of sophomores are assessed by a short research report third-year students must participate in an undergraduate research project3 The curriculum requires students

to choose a topic to Independent study and completion of a document review, or a clinical project under the supervision of a school teacher Students must spendalarge amount of independent study time ontheir projects Furthemiore students are offered weekly seminars for three months; in self-contained seminars In the voluntary workshop students leam to search for material write scientifically and evaluate critically document and present their findings; at the end of the process,students must demonstrate their mastery of the topic in a written thesis and apresentation3

13.6 Impact factor

The contest"Student for scientific research" is organized by the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and Technology, die Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union,and the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations every year toencourage students to participate in scientific research inchiding in the field ofMedical Science34

The 6th Scientific Research Conference 2019 for students to encouragecreativity and passion for scientific research The number of students participating

inreportsas well as the quality of scientific researchprojects has increased over the

past 36 years Every year the University's students have scientific works toparticipate in the University's Young Science Conference: Provincial Science and Technology Award: Youth scientific conferences of national medical schoolsawards for students in scientific research organized by the Ministry of Educationand Training }i

Inadditionto the Medical Universityin generalas well as the Hanoi Medical University in particular there are many clubs to support students to participate in scientific research activities such as Student Club for Active Study and Scientific Research of Hanoi Medical University Scientific Research Club - the Department

of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics todevelopresearchskills for students

13.7 Medical innovation policies

Researchcompetence is recognized asan important educational standard for graduates in many health professions and research skills are fundamental toevidence-basedmedical practice* Accreditationbodies worldwide are emphasizingthe need for medical schools to develop their students* research competencies by increasing their expectations of research-worthy graduates' In Australia this isregulated by the Australian Medical Council, which requires medical graduates to

be able to apply knowledge of scientific methods to formulate relevant researchquestions (AMC standard 3 4) Similarly the Royal College of Physicians andSurgeons of Canadarecentlyupdated the CanMEDS framework (2015) to include a requirement for medical students to be able to contribute to the creation anddissemination of knowledge and practice In the United Kingdom the General Medical Council has mandated that medical graduates must be able to applyscientific methods and approaches tomedicalresearch

In recent years, many medical schools in Vietnam have implementedinnovative training programsin general medicine to meet the competency standardswhich were issuedby’ the Ministry of Health under Decision No 1854 ỌD-BYT onMay, 18'“,2015 based on the competency standards of medical doctors issuedby the

Ministry of Health students will well apply bask scientific knowledge and basicmedical knowledge into clinical science in interpreting signs and symptomsinterpreting diagnosis and treatment options •* The inclusion of academic modules

in the curriculum will allow students to participate in small projects in medicine, hone skills in teamwork scientific research, and promote creativity the dynamism

of students*

At Hanoi Medical University, on November 17*2017, the 3rd Medical Training Innovation Conference introduced a new training program framework forthe general practitioner system based on 4 focuses force integrated; focus onclinical skills, and communication skills: foreign language ability’ and scientific research9, ỉn addition, in 2017, a new form of teaching subjects on scientificresearch including statistics and scientific researchmethodswillbe implemented for students from the traditional form to the new form combining direct teachingandE-learning This hybridfotm of training offers the advantage of increasedflexibilityfor students throughtaking the courseonline while maintaining face-to-face contactwith teachers and other students2 It isdefined as an innovative form of traditionalface-to-face instruction combined with technology mediated instruction Optimal learning is achieved through a careful combination of traditional teaching and online learning Ill addition, it IS predicted to be the "new traditional paradigm” orthe “newnormal"111 higher education’’

1.3.8 Some other barriers

Some snidies on barriers to scientific research include overloaded academic workload, lack of time to pursue scientific research activities and inadequate guidance on knowledge, basics of scientific research in medical colleges'

Many other studiesshowed that some barriers to research such as overload of study programs time constraints inadequate training in research1 More thanthree-fifths (60.7%) of students believe that current educational processes and programs do not allow students to participate in research activities Most students

(75.0%) said that the cuniculurn was too ovex loaded to allow enough time topracticeresearchor any other scientific interests Almost a third of students (32 1%) said that they do not have time to look for up-to-date information-* In a cross-sectional study ofeight-year senior medical students in China, the resultsrevealedmajor obstacles or challenges to researchperformanceas follows academic burden (72.5%), lack of scientific research ability (40.8%), and lack of access to the appropriate search pool (21.3%)}i Furthermore 70% of medical students are notwilling to research because of existing barriers and challenges including lack of access to information resources, lack of expertisein English, regulations restricting practice Insufficient research budget and inability to write formal research4 According to authors Somdatta Patra and Amir Marco f Khan, the qualitativeanalysis showed that some students find it difficult when the research topic chosen

by the group isnot related tomedicine; Computer use was also a problem reported

by students14

According to the results of another study, in terms of awareness students themselves are not active, self-disciplined, have not built the right attitude andmotivation for research, ỉn terms knowledge, the practice has shown that, because they are not equipped with basic and systematic knowledge and methods of scientific research when embarking on scientific research activities, students are often contused and have not mastered the methods of scientific research, legalresearch: In addition, the lack of documents and research facilities also limit die ability of students to do scientific research-

1.4 Training needs ofscientific research

Quantitative analysis of a German study showed that medical graduates rated the content of the research curriculum as rather low*1 The majority of medicalstudents at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah agree that they should be provided with more research projects (74.1%), research training(79.8%), attracting medical students Faculties participate in mentored research (78 1%) and provide required

courses in research methods (71.7%) as the main solution to improve research skills”.

A study in China showed that there was a need for medical students, especially graduates, to enhance course delivery and teaching quality in terms of research design, advanced statistical methods and applications using statisticalsoftware'5 Medicalschools should enhance statistical training andincorporate more case studiesand statistical software to emphasize the real-worldconditionsin which statistical methods are applied Thisapproach will enhance the capacity of medical students to use statistical software toprocess and interpret statistical results"4

The findings of Millar et al (2009) suggest that research should be bestintegrated witfl real-world research** That way, students can put what they'velearned in class into a real-world envứonment As such students will indirectlydevelop a positive attitude and inculcate research culture in theirfuture careers Inaddition early entry into research may promote continued research trends in laterstages of the medicalprofession

Another study by Jamah et al (2012) suggested that attending a research method seminar is one of the important factors that can strengthen knowledgeaboutthe research process In addition students have tended to like to leam in small groups, theythink thisis the core form toensureinteraction’*

1.5 Scientific researchskills

Researchskills are definedasdescribedbyStark et al (2005) which can be divided into four main skill areas: (1) research methods (2) information collection (3)critical analysis andrenew, (4) data processing43

According to Tran Thanh Al, scientific research is a system of manydifferentskills including15

- The skill of developing research topics is extremely important because itdetermines the success or failure of the research The research topic isnotwhat is

available but is the result of a complex and dialectical process from the recordsobtained in the process of acquiring specialized knowledge to the skills of observation andreal economic analysis and the comparison of those analyzes withthe current state of knowledge, to uncover research problems

- Researchdesignskillsmust correspond to the researchobjectives of the topic, the type of data to be collected the method of analysis There is no fixed formula such

as mathematical formulas for the researcher for all different studies Therefore, the researchermust have researchdesignskillstobe able toconductit independently

* Science research datacollectionskills are veryimportant, especially in humanities and social research and education Educational science has very complex researchsubjects, such as the relationships between people, between people and socialorganization systems behaviors, attitudes so researchers must have skills inorganizing data collectiontoensure scientific objectivity

- Skills indata analysis and use of analytical tools to highlight the characteristicscharacteristics, and properties of the research object (descriptiveresearch)orto help the researcher test the h>pothesis (research explains) Today, information technology plays a very important role in scientific research even in the social sciences and humanities Therefore the researcher must know how to use a variety

of analytical software This is very important technical assistance, giving it a significant advantage when it comes tointernational publication

- Critical skills are based on the comparison between cunent knowledge and objective reality, to discover the inability of current knowledge to interpret reality Modem science is based on the principle that humanknowledge is always outdated with reality so humanity always has to discover those shortcomings to constantly add new knowledge, by having to accept a revision of the theory however, complete it may be

* Scientific research reasoning skills based on persuasion byarguments and proofs.Arguments must be based on science that has been recognized by the scientific community,not on subjective feelings orpublic opinion Reasoning skills notonlyhelp scientists build their arguments coherently and persuasively, but they can alsohelp themdiscover inadequacies between theory and reality, lasing the foundationfortheir science findings makes sense

- The skill of writing scientific articles (reports) requires researchers to have information skills, write what needs to be written, accurately express the nature of the matter so that all readers can understand the same Nowadays, scientists have many opportunities to attend international scientific forums and especially the role

of international publication is increasingly important, so language skills are indispensable, especially in English

1.6 Assessmentofscientificresearch skills

Scientific research is part of many medical curricula however, there is no unified assessmenttool to properly assess research corecompetencies at different levels4’.Scientific research skills are built on the results of Tran Thanh Al's research on the elements that make up scientific research capacity1 and a toolkit designed by the City University of Medicine and Biological Sciences Kansas City (KCU.MB) used

to assess the competency-related skills for graduates41 The KCUMB toolkit isstructured around six core competencies (documentation skills analytical skills discussion skills, etc ) In addition the toolkit of this study refers to the scoring of studies in Ecuador and Malaysia, medical students selfassessed the average score

of their scientific research ability on a 5-point Likert scale (5 points= high levels, 1

■ lowlevel)4’-^

A set of questions to measure graduate medical stud?nts‘ research skills wasdeveloped for thisstudy It builds on the content and components of research skills gathered fromliterature based on reviews and previous studies but has beenadapted

to make the questionnaire consistent with the process of implementing a research

proposal and the process of learning scientific research of Hanoi MedicalUniversity Scientific research skills are rated on a 5-point Liken scale (from "verybad” to -very good”).

1.7 Studies on the current status and training needs of scientificresearch of medical students

17 1 Cunentstatus of scientific research

In 2009, Susanne Pruskil and her colleaguesconducted a study on 147 fifth- year medical students from the Charite University Medical Center Berlin Germany,

to assess their epidemiological and statistical knowledge The results showed thatthe mean ± standard deviation score on the MCQ test was 17.5 ± 4.2 (range 8-28)There was no statistically significant difference between students who startedresearch for the thesis andthose who did not (17 6 = 4.2 and 167= 45.p = 0 242 ).Students who performed experimental projects scored significantly higher than other students (18 6 = 4.1 and 16.5 = 4.0, p = 0.005y:

In 2013 N K Ragab Ibrahim et al conducted a study on a group of recent graduates from King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah to determine the knowledgeattitudes and practices towards the study and to identify the factors affecting knowledge research The results show that research knowledge is generally low(2 44=1 96) In practice 381% of medical students and internship students participated in the research and 5 8% of workers publishingscientificarticles

In 2016 Abdelrahman and colleagues conducted study on 420 studentsfrom the Faculty of Medicine Ain Shams University on their knowledge, and some

of their barriers to scientific research The study results showed that their research knowledge scores were low on a six-question scale, and several barriers to entry included lack of time andappropnatementoring2

In a study in China by Yazhou Wu et al., the results show that the overallstatistical capacity of undergraduates, graduates andmedical staff islacking and die

ability to apply statistical knowledge limited in pl act ice which creates anunsatisfactory status for education in health statistics*'

Recently a study in Germany by Antonius Buscher et al conducted study that assessed the current level of basic science competence of 2380 German medical students by asking them to self-assess According to the results of this study, the majority of students rated their ability to search for relevant documents as good(12 4% very good 57.4% good) and discuss (12 9% very good), 59.1% is quite good) However, the majority of students indicated incompetence in statistics (22.7% very bad 46 8% good) and scientific writing (10 8% verybad 44 6% quitebad)*'9

1 7.2 Training needs of scientificresearch

In 2009 Millar et al suggested that the research course should be bestintegrated with real-world research’2 That way, students can put what they’velearned in class into a real-world environment As such students will indirectlydevelop a positive attitude and inculcate research culture in theirfuture careers Inaddition early entry into research may promote continued research trends in laterstages of the medical profession

Research by N K Ragab Ibrahim et al showed that the need for scientificresearchamong medical students atKingAbdulaziz University, Jeddah IS that theyshould be provided with additional research projects (74 1%), research training(79 08%), attracting medical students to participate in mentored research (78 1%) and providing required courses in research methods (71.7%) are the main solutions

to improveresearchskills5

Another study by Jamali et al (2012) suggested that attending a research method seminarisone of the important factors that can strengthen knowledge aboutthe research process52 In addition, students have tended to like to leam U1 smallgroups theythink this is the core form toensure interaction

A study in China si)owed that there was a need for medical students,especially graduates to enhance course delivery and teaching quality in terms of research design, advanced statistical methods, and applications using statisticalsoftware-’.

In 2018 Antonius Buscher and colleagues conducted a study on 2380 medical students from all 37 German medical faculties the results showed that according to the students the current medical curricula werenot fullysufficient for scientific studies, and more courses on other aspects are needed to address thisissue They strongly advocate extensive research training based on threepillars: (i)core science curriculum (ii) extracurricular research projects, and (iii) researchprograms Special study for students witha strong interest inmedical research2*

1.8 Overview of the studysite

In the announcement of graduation decision of Hanoi Medical Universitythe number of graduates from Hanoi Medical University (HMU) every year is asfollows:

Table11; Number of graduatesfrom Hanoi Medical University every year

Doctor drgtee Bachelor degree Total

CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH SUBJECTS AND METHOD2.1 Researrh subject

The studs- was conducted on graduates from 2008 to 2020 from Hanoi MedicalUniversity at the time of the study

♦Inclusion criteria:

• Students who graduated from 2008 to 2020

• Students who notparticipatedin postgraduate

• Studentswho studied the research methods course

• Students who agreed to join in the study

•Exclusion criteria:

Students have studied research methods course but have not passes

2.2 Research period and location

2.2.1 Researchpenod

The study was carriedoutfromOctober 2020 to May 2021

2 2 2 Research location

The study was conducted at Hanoi Medical University

2.3 Sa tuple size and sample selection method

2.3.1 Sample size

Apply the sample size formula to estimate a population means using the followingformula:

In which

• z:l u J. the expected accuracy of the study IS 95% - 1.96

• 5 standard deviation of the total research skills from the study ofN'ahla etal.($=2.42)“,

• X mean value of the total research skills from the research of Nahlaetal 11 (x=3 91);

• £ acceptable relative error (£=005)

-> The minimum sample size was 589 The final sample size collectedwas 842 subjects

2 3.2 Sampling method

Convenientsampling

2.4 Research design and process

- Studydesign A cross-sectionalstudy

- Research process:

+ Build an onlinedata collection toolkiton Kobotoolbox tool

♦ Make a list of students tosend invitations via email

- Collect data

Step 1 Send the toolkittostudentsbyfollowing the link in the emailStep 2: After 3 days, send the first reminder letter to students whohave not responded to the toolkit

Step 3: After 7 days send second reminder letter to students whohavenotresponded to the toolkit

2.5 Data collection methods and took

Subjects filled in then answers to a 6 parts online questionnaire that was pre­designed on the Kobotoolbox toolaccordingto the link in the email

The onlinequestionnaire was built on the Kobotoolbox tool and sentto the researchsubjects via the available email The toolkit is built on the skills needed for scientific research1'

2.6 Researchindicators andvariables

Table 2-1: Describe scientific research skillsand training needs

Variables Indicators Definition Classification Method ToolBuilding a research topic

Self-fillonline

Self-fillonline

Self-fillonline

Self-fillonline

Self-fill online

Questionnaire

5 Very good

I am confidentwith 1 Ven’ not good Ordinal Self-fill Questionnaire

mv • document 2 Notgood variable online

4 Good

5 VerygoodResearch design

lam confident in 1 Very not good Ordinal Self-fill Questionnaire

identify objects, 3 Average

times, places, and 4 Good

I am confident with 1 Verynot good Ordinal Self-fill Questionnaire

samplingmethod 3 Average

suitable for each 4 Good

I am confidentwith 1 Very not good Ordinal Self-fill Questionnaire

calculating sample 3 Average

size suitable for the 4 Good

I am confident in 1 Very not good Ordinal Self-fill Questionnaire

mv• ability • to 2 Notgood variable online

identify the typeof 3 Average

researchdesignthat 4 Good

I am confidentin 1 Very not good Ordinal Self-fill Questionnaire

my skills in 2 Not good variable online

determining data 3 Average

collection methods 4 Good

5 Very good

I am confidentin 1 Very not good Ordinal Self-fill Questionnaire

mv• skills in 2 Notgood variable online

buildingdata 3 Average

collection tools 4 Good

I am confidentwith 1 Very not good Ordinal Self-fill Questionnaire

document search 3 Average

5 Very good

I am confidentwith 1 Very not good

IUV skills in 9• Notgood

selectively using 3 Average

materialsfrom 4 Good

Ordinal Self-fill Questionnairevariable online

reputable sources 5 Very good

Self-fill online

Self-fill online

Self-fill online

Self fill online

Self fill online

Questionnaire

I am confidentwith 1 Very not good Ordinal Self-fill Questionnaire

descriptivestatistics 2 Not good variable online

analysisskills 3 Average

4 Good

5 Very’good

I am confident with 1 Very not good Ordinal Self-fill Questionnaứe

statistical analysis 3 Average

5 Very good

I am confident in 1 Very not good Ordinal Self-fill Questionnaire

effectively present 3 Average

research results in 4 Good

tables, charts 5 Very’ good

I am confidentwith 1 Verynot good Ordinal Self-fill Questionnaire

myskillsin using 2 Notgood variable online

analytical software 3 Average

(Stata R excel 4 Good

Scientific reasoning

I am confidentwith 1 Very not good Ordinal Self-fill Questionnaire

my skill in using 2 Notgood variable online

references in the 4 Good

discussion 5 Very good

I am confidentin 1.Very’not good Ordinal Self-fill Questionnaire

interpret research 3 Average

results according to 4 Good

objectives 5 Very good

I am confidentwith

mv ability • • to

compareresults

with other research

1 Verynot good

Self-fill Questionnaireonline

Self-fill Questionnaire online

Self-fill Questionnaire online

Training needs of scientificresearch

Do you find the

required training

content'’

1 Keep stable

2 Reduce training content(specify)

3 Increase training content(specify1)

Nominalvariable

Self-fill Questionnaire online

2 Encourage students to

Nominalvariable

Selt-fill Questionnaire online

conduct and publishscientificarticles

3 Theoreticaltraining parallel with practice

4 Competency­

based training

5 Other (specify)What evaluation 1 Conduct Nominal Self-fill Questionnaireform do youthink research in groups variable online

isappropriate? 2 Conduct

(Multiple choice) research in an

individual

3 Question andanswer form, comment

4.Other (specify)Table2-2: Some factor s related to scientific researchskills

Variables Indicators Definition Classification Method ToolGeneral information

2 Female

Binary' variable

Self-fill online

Questionnaire

Year of graduation Year of graduation Continuous Self fill Questionnaire

education level variable onlineCunent main

workplace

1 Hospital

2 Medical centers facilities

Nominalvariable

Self fill online

Questionnaire