Perceptions of Nigerian medical specialists on research

Authors

  • Abdulraheem Olarongbe Mahmoud Department of Ophthalmology, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria.
  • Abdulkabir Ayansiji Ayanniyi Department of Ophthalmology, University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria.
  • Abdul Lawal Department of Ophthalmology, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, Nigeria.
  • Charles Oluwole Omolase Department of Ophthalmology, Federal Medical Center, Owo, Nigeria
  • Yinka Ologunsua Eye Unit, St Mary’s Catholic Hospital, Ago Iwoye, Nigeria
  • Elsie Samaila Department of Ophthalmology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika-Zaria, Nigeria.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4081/jphia.2011.e1

Keywords:

Challenges, Health research, Medical specialist, Developing economy

Abstract

The current research aimed at collating the views of medical specialists on disease priorities, class and outcomes of health research in Nigeria, and draw appropriate policy implications. Structured questionnaires were distributed to consent 90 randomly selected medical specialists practising in six Nigerian tertiary health institutions. Participants' background information, relative disease priority, research types and class, type and class of publication media, frequency of publications, challenges faced in publishing research, impact of their research on health practice or policy, and inventions made were probed. Fifty-one out of the 90 questionnaires distributed were returned giving a response rate of 63.3%. Sixty-four point six percent indicated that the highest priority should be given to non communicable diseases while still recognizing that considerations should be giving to the others. They were largely “always” involved in simple low budget retrospective studies or cross-sectional and medical education studies (67.8%) and over a third (37.5%) had never been involved in clinical trials. They largely preferred to “always” publish in PubMed indexed journals that are foreign-based (65.0%). They also indicated that their research works very rarely resulted in inventions (4%) and change (4%) in clinical practice or health policy. Our study respondents indicated that they were largely involved in simple low budget research works that rarely had significant impacts and outcomes. We recommend that adequate resources and research infrastructures particularly funding be made available to medical specialists in Nigeria. Both undergraduate and postgraduate medical education in Nigeria should emphasize research training in their curricula.
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Author Biographies

Abdulraheem Olarongbe Mahmoud, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria.

Ophthalmology, Consultant/Associate Professor

Abdulkabir Ayansiji Ayanniyi, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria.

Ophthalmology, Consultant/Lecturer

Abdul Lawal, Department of Ophthalmology, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, Nigeria.

Ophthalmology, Consultant/Senior Lecturer

Charles Oluwole Omolase, Department of Ophthalmology, Federal Medical Center, Owo, Nigeria

Ophthalmology, Consultant

Yinka Ologunsua, Eye Unit, St Mary’s Catholic Hospital, Ago Iwoye, Nigeria

Ophthalmology, Consultant

Elsie Samaila, Department of Ophthalmology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika-Zaria, Nigeria.

Ophthalmology, Consultant/Professor

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Published

11-02-2011

How to Cite

Mahmoud, A. O., Ayanniyi, A. A., Lawal, A., Omolase, C. O., Ologunsua, Y., & Samaila, E. (2011). Perceptions of Nigerian medical specialists on research. Journal of Public Health in Africa, 2(1), e1. https://doi.org/10.4081/jphia.2011.e1

Issue

Section

Original Articles