Chapman Stephen J, Glasbey James C D, Khatri Chetan, Kelly Michael, Nepogodiev Dmitri, Bhangu Aneel, Fitzgerald J Edward F
University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
University of Cardiff Medical School, Cardiff, UK.
BMC Med Educ. 2015 Mar 13;15:47. doi: 10.1186/s12909-015-0326-1.
Medical students often struggle to engage in extra-curricular research and audit. The Student Audit and Research in Surgery (STARSurg) network is a novel student-led, national research collaborative. Student collaborators contribute data to national, clinical studies while gaining an understanding of audit and research methodology and ethical principles. This study aimed to evaluate the educational impact of participation.
Participation in the national, clinical project was supported with training interventions, including an academic training day, an online e-learning module, weekly discussion forums and YouTube® educational videos. A non-mandatory, online questionnaire assessed collaborators' self-reported confidence in performing key academic skills and their perceptions of audit and research prior to and following participation.
The group completed its first national clinical study ("STARSurgUK") with 273 student collaborators across 109 hospital centres. Ninety-seven paired pre- and post-study participation responses (35.5%) were received (male = 51.5%; median age = 23). Participation led to increased confidence in key academic domains including: communication with local research governance bodies (p < 0.001), approaching clinical staff to initiate local collaboration (p < 0.001), data collection in a clinical setting (p < 0.001) and presentation of scientific results (p < 0.013). Collaborators also reported an increased appreciation of research, audit and study design (p < 0.001).
Engagement with the STARSurg network empowered students to participate in a national clinical study, which increased their confidence and appreciation of academic principles and skills. Encouraging active participation in collaborative, student-led, national studies offers a novel approach for delivering essential academic training.
医学生常常难以参与课外研究和审计工作。外科学生审计与研究（STARSurg）网络是一个由学生主导的新型全国性研究协作项目。学生合作者为全国性临床研究贡献数据，同时了解审计与研究方法以及伦理原则。本研究旨在评估参与该项目的教育影响。
通过培训干预措施支持学生参与全国性临床项目，这些措施包括学术培训日、在线电子学习模块、每周讨论论坛以及YouTube®教育视频。一份非强制性的在线问卷评估了合作者在参与项目前后自我报告的执行关键学术技能的信心以及他们对审计和研究的看法。
该团队完成了其首个全国性临床研究（“STARSurgUK”），来自109个医院中心的273名学生合作者参与其中。共收到97份配对的参与研究前后的回复（35.5%）（男性 = 51.5%；年龄中位数 = 23岁）。参与导致在关键学术领域的信心增强，包括：与当地研究管理机构沟通（p < 0.001）、与临床工作人员联系以启动当地合作（p < 0.001）、在临床环境中收集数据（p < 0.001）以及展示科学成果（p < 0.013）。合作者还报告说对研究、审计和研究设计的理解有所增加（p < 0.001）。
参与STARSurg网络使学生有能力参与全国性临床研究，增强了他们对学术原则和技能的信心及理解。鼓励积极参与由学生主导的协作性全国性研究为提供必要的学术培训提供了一种新方法。
