Dissemination of student and resident research: Publication rates after poster presentation

Dear Sir

The Association of American Medical Colleges strongly recommends medical students undertake research projects (AAMC 2006) and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requires opportunity for residents to participate in research or scholarly activities (ACGME 2008). However, neither agency provides guidelines regarding dissemination of research findings. Our Midwestern regional medical school offers an opportunity to disseminate research locally through poster presentations at an annual research Forum, however publication rate of these projects was unknown. From 1999–2006 a total of 67 posters were presented by medical students (n = 15) and residents (n = 52).

To determine project publication rates, Pub Med and Google Scholar searches were conducted using author name(s), poster title and key words. The publication rate was 34.3% overall, based on 38.5% for residents and 20.0% for medical students, which did not differ significantly (χ² = 1.133, p = 0.287). More than half (55.2%) of all poster were surgery-related, and publication for surgery-related posters (41.7%) was significantly higher than non-surgery topics (22.6%) (χ² = 4.400, p = 0.036). Posters categorized as surgery-related were by an orthopedic surgery or general surgery residents and/or on a topic pertaining to surgical procedures, technology or patients.

These rates of publication seem disturbingly low considering the posters presented information regarding completed research projects. One explanation might be that many students and residents do not complete these projects until the end of medical school or residency training, when motivation to publish may be low. Posters on surgery-related topics had more than double the publication rate of non-surgery posters, and 91.6% were conducted by residents. This may be due, in part, to the Orthopedic Research Institute which supports orthopedic surgery residents in conducting a required research project and the fact that general surgery residents are required to undertake two research projects during their training.

While our study has several limitations it still identifies a gap in the research process for medical students and residents. Failure to disseminate findings through publication in peer-reviewed journals may be a great disservice, resulting in duplication of research or failure to expand important research areas. Clearly efforts need to be made to address the low publication rates of student and resident research projects after poster presentation. Steps to undertake in this effort include: (1) assessment of individual programs, (2) determination of factors influencing publication, (3) development of interventions to address factors affecting publication rates, and (4) restructuring programs to enhance research and dissemination.