Participant's Knowledge and Perception of Health Research Methodology before and after a Hands-on Workshop in a Medical College in Lalitpur, Nepal.

Abstract

Background The basic principles of research methodology are very important for the successful conduct of research. Objective To evaluate the knowledge and perceptions before and after a three-day workshop on health research methodologies conducted at a medical college in Lalitpur, Nepal. Method The pre-post study was conducted during the workshop. There were 31 participants comprising of doctors (interns and residents), medical officers and dental surgeons and faculties. A questionnaire containing two sections related to various themes of the workshop was developed to measure the respondents' knowledge and perception of different concepts. Feedback regarding each session was also obtained. The median knowledge and perception scores before and after the workshop were compared using appropriate statistical tests (p < 0.05). Result More than half of the participants, [18 (58.1%)] were of 20-30 years of age. The total knowledge scores improved significantly after the workshop. The increase in the perception scores after the workshop was also significant. Feedback was positive. The highest feedback score was for the session on critical analysis of a published article. Conclusion Knowledge and perceptions increased significantly indicating such workshops can be effective and contribute to the capacity building of the early-stage researchers.