Factors Affecting Physicians' Research Activities in the Hospitalsof Ministry of Health at Sultanate of Oman

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate the individual and institutional factors affecting the quality of physicians' research activities. It also purposed to indicate which factors have more effect on research activities, and are those factors affected each other's.. This will help to formulate knowledgeable environment between researchers to exchange experiences, pursuit research process and to find the best solution to enhance and develop health research activities in the Sultanate. Accordingly, the study purposed to answer the following questions:
1. Which factors, including in the individual factors (personal interest, skill & competencies of researcher, information retrieval and communication & collaboration) and institutional factors (training & education, Funding and incentives) have more effects the physicians' research activities?
2. Is there any correlation between individual and institutional factors and between factors themselves?
Also the study examined this theory:
 There are significance differences between physicians' categories (professional and specialty level, age and hospital level).
The qualitative method was used to achieve the aim of the study.Questionnaire was used for data collection from (465) physicians working in the referral hospitals of Ministry of Health (MOH).The SPSS statistical package was used to analyze the data by conducting several tests, T-test, one way ANOVA and correlation.
The study found that, Individual factors affected physicians' research activities more than institutional factors. However, there was no correlation appeared between both types of factors. At the time, there were significant differences between individuals and institutional factors affecting research activities and professional and specialty levels of physicians. Insight of these results, the study recommended enhancement of communication and collaboration culture, and create database to achieve the effective collaboration between physicians. On the hand of institutional factors, the study recommended to prepare continuous training and provide the resources, materials and funds that should motivate research activities.