# Investigating the Impact of Resident Doctor Regional Research Meetings on Research Outcomes: A 20-Year Longitudinal Analysis of the Regional Bardhan Fellowship Day

## TL;DR

A 20-year study shows that regional gastroenterology research meetings boost trainee research outcomes and publication rates.

## Contribution

Demonstrates the long-term effectiveness of regional research conferences in promoting resident research and publication success.

## Key findings

- Ranked abstracts had a 57% publication rate compared to 27% for unranked abstracts.
- Ranked abstracts were published in higher impact factor journals than unranked ones.
- Ranked presenters were more likely to attain higher research degrees and work in tertiary care settings.

## Abstract

Introduction

Medical research plays a critical role in advancing medical knowledge and improving patient care. However, recent studies indicate a decline in trainee participation in research activities. The Yorkshire and Humber regional trainee Bardhan Fellowship was established to address this issue by encouraging and motivating gastroenterology trainees to engage in research. This study aims to evaluate the outcomes of abstracts presented at this regional annual gastroenterology conference.

Methods

Over the past 20 years, data collection has been conducted using three primary methods. A questionnaire was distributed to gather feedback and ratings from the participants. Additionally, final meeting programs were analyzed to identify abstracts and their respective presenters, including those ranked in the top three. A cross-referencing approach was employed to track subsequent publications of presented abstracts using Web of Science and Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE) databases.

Results

An analysis of 259 abstracts revealed that 91 (35%) were published as full papers in peer-reviewed journals, whereas 168 (65%) remained unpublished. Of the 67 top-three ranked abstracts, 38 (57%) achieved full publication, a significantly higher rate than the 52 (27%) among the 192 unranked abstracts (p<0.0001). The median time to publication for the 67 ranked abstracts was 12.5 months (interquartile range {IQR}: 6.25-21.25 months), compared to 15 months (IQR: 6-27 months) for the 192 unranked abstracts. Ranked abstracts were published in journals with a median impact factor of 3.769 (IQR: 2.491-7.527; p<0.0001), while unranked abstracts were published in journals with a median impact factor of 2.884 (IQR: 1.95-4.628; p<0.0001). Ranked presenters were more likely to receive higher research degrees (26/39 {67%} versus 33/73 {45%}, p=0.03) and were more likely to be employed in a university tertiary care setting (28/41 {68%} versus 34/77 {44%}, p=0.02). Questionnaire data from 161 attendees over nine years indicated a positive evaluation of the meeting.

Conclusion

Research training conferences are well received by resident doctors and help them develop their research and presentation skills. This conference model could be implemented in other regions to promote research dissemination among resident doctors.