TY - JOUR
T1 - Infrastructure Features Associated With Increased Department Research Capacity
AU - Seehusen, Dean A.
AU - Koopman, Richelle J.
AU - Weidner, Amanda
AU - Kulshreshtha, Ambar
AU - Ledford, Christy J.W.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Society of Teachers of Family Medicine.
PY - 2023/6
Y1 - 2023/6
N2 - Purpose: Although researchers have identified factors associated with research capacity in academic medicine departments, less is known about how a department builds research capacity over time. The Association of Departments of Family Medicine’s Research Capacity Scale (RCS) can be used by departments to self-categorize into five capacity levels. Our current study aimed to describe the distribution of infrastructure features and to evaluate how the addition of infrastructure features influences movement of a department along the RCS. Method: An online survey was sent to US family medicine department chairs in August 2021. Survey questions asked chairs to categorize their department’s research capacity in 2018 and 2021 and also about the presence of infrastructure resources and changes in these features across 6 years. Results: The response rate was 54.2%. Departments identified substantial variation in research capacity. Most departments classified into the middle three levels. Departments in higher levels were more likely than those at lower levels to have any of the infrastructure resources in 2021. Department size, as measured by full time faculty, was highly associated with department level. From 2018 and 2021, 43% of responding departments climbed at least one level. Of these, more than half added three or more infrastructure features. Adding a PhD researcher was the feature most associated with increasing research capacity (P<.001). Conclusions: Most departments that increased their research capacity added multiple additional infrastructure features. For chairs of departments without a PhD researcher, this additional resource may be the most impactful investment to increase research capacity.
AB - Purpose: Although researchers have identified factors associated with research capacity in academic medicine departments, less is known about how a department builds research capacity over time. The Association of Departments of Family Medicine’s Research Capacity Scale (RCS) can be used by departments to self-categorize into five capacity levels. Our current study aimed to describe the distribution of infrastructure features and to evaluate how the addition of infrastructure features influences movement of a department along the RCS. Method: An online survey was sent to US family medicine department chairs in August 2021. Survey questions asked chairs to categorize their department’s research capacity in 2018 and 2021 and also about the presence of infrastructure resources and changes in these features across 6 years. Results: The response rate was 54.2%. Departments identified substantial variation in research capacity. Most departments classified into the middle three levels. Departments in higher levels were more likely than those at lower levels to have any of the infrastructure resources in 2021. Department size, as measured by full time faculty, was highly associated with department level. From 2018 and 2021, 43% of responding departments climbed at least one level. Of these, more than half added three or more infrastructure features. Adding a PhD researcher was the feature most associated with increasing research capacity (P<.001). Conclusions: Most departments that increased their research capacity added multiple additional infrastructure features. For chairs of departments without a PhD researcher, this additional resource may be the most impactful investment to increase research capacity.
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U2 - 10.22454/FamMed.2023.736543
DO - 10.22454/FamMed.2023.736543
M3 - Article
C2 - 37307387
AN - SCOPUS:85162042548
SN - 0742-3225
VL - 55
SP - 367
EP - 374
JO - Family medicine
JF - Family medicine
IS - 6
ER -