Strengthening a culture of research dissemination: A narrative report of research day at King Faisal Hospital Rwanda, a tertiary-level teaching hospital in Rwanda.

BACKGROUND

There are significant gaps in research output and authorship in low- and middle-income countries. Research dissemination events have the potential to help bridge this gap through knowledge transfer, institutional collaboration, and stakeholder engagement. These events may also have an impact on both clinical service delivery and policy development. King Faisal Hospital Rwanda (KFH) is a tertiary-level teaching hospital located in Kigali, Rwanda. To strengthen its research dissemination, KFH conducted an inaugural Research Day (RD) to disseminate its research activities, recognize staff and student researchers at KFH, define a research agenda for the hospital, and promote a culture of research both at KFH and in Rwanda.

METHODS

RD was coordinated by an interdisciplinary committee of clinical and non-clinical staff at KFH. Researchers were encouraged to disseminate their research across all disciplines. Abstracts were blind reviewed using a weighted rubric and ranked by overall score. Top researchers were also awarded and recognized for their work, and equity and inclusion was at the forefront of RD programming.

RESULTS

RD had over 100 attendees from KFH and other public, private, and academic institutions. Forty-seven abstracts were submitted from the call for abstracts, with the highest proportion studying cancer (17.02%) and sexual and reproductive health (10.64%). Thirty-seven researchers submitted abstracts, and most of the principal investigators were medical doctors (35.14%), allied health professionals (27.03%), and nurses and midwives (16.22%). Furthermore, 30% of principal investigators were female, with the highest proportion of them being nurses and midwives (36.36%).

CONCLUSION

RD is an effective way to disseminate research in a hospital setting. RD has the potential to strengthen the institution's research agenda, engage the community in ongoing projects, and provide content-area support to researchers. Equity and inclusion should be at the forefront of research dissemination, including gender equity, authorship representation, and the inclusion of interdisciplinary health professionals. Stakeholder engagement can also be utilized to strengthen institutional research collaboration for greater impact.