Research during Pediatric Residency Training: A Nationwide Study in Japan

Akira Ishiguro; Osamu Nomura; Nobuaki Michihata; Tohru Kobayashi; Rintaro Mori; Katsumi Nishiya; Kazunari Kaneko; Japan Pediatric Society Steering Committee of Board Examination

doi:10.31662/jmaj.2018-0007

Research during Pediatric Residency Training: A Nationwide Study in Japan

JMA J. 2019 Mar 4;2(1):28-34. doi: 10.31662/jmaj.2018-0007. Epub 2019 Feb 1.

Authors

Akira Ishiguro¹, Osamu Nomura¹, Nobuaki Michihata¹, Tohru Kobayashi², Rintaro Mori³, Katsumi Nishiya⁴, Kazunari Kaneko⁵; Japan Pediatric Society Steering Committee of Board Examination

Affiliations

¹ Center for Postgraduate Education and Training, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan.
² Department of Management and Strategy, Clinical Research Center, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan.
³ Department of Health Policy, Research Institute, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan.
⁴ Center for Medical Education, Kansai Medical University, Osaka, Japan.
⁵ Department of Pediatrics, Kansai Medical University, Osaka, Japan.

Abstract

Introduction: Training in scholarship is an essential component of postgraduate education. Previous studies worldwide on the research activities of pediatric residents were questionnaires targeting program directors or surveys conducted in a limited number of institutions; however, no nationwide studies have been conducted. The objective of this study was to describe the research activities of pediatric residents.

Methods: We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional study during 2015 and 2016 in Japan. Study data were collected from each resident's logbook submitted to the board examination office and compared by the type of institution, namely, university, children's, or community hospital.

Results: Of 1,718 eligible participants, 1,500 participated in this study. Overall, 499 (33.3%) residents trained at national/public university hospitals, 371 (24.7%) at private university hospitals, 140 (9.3%) at children's hospitals, and 490 (32.7%) at community hospitals. Although 1,361 (90.7%) residents gave at least one presentation at an academic conference during their residency, only 235 (15.7%) residents published one or more articles in a peer-reviewed academic medical journal. The proportion of residents who gave at least one presentation (p=0.03) and published at least one study (p<0.01) differed significantly among the types of institutions. Residents at community hospitals gave fewer presentations at conferences (odds ratio [OR] 0.56; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.36-0.87) and published fewer peer-reviewed articles (OR 0.53; 95% CI 0.37-0.76) than residents at national/public university hospitals.

Conclusions: This is apparently the first nationwide study demonstrating that the research activities of pediatric residents consisted mostly of presentations at academic conferences, but also that most residents had not published their research. There was a marked variation in residents' academic activities by institution type.

Keywords: Research; board examination; education; pediatric training; residency program.