# Effect of a workshop for questionnaire-based surveys on research awareness and motivation among community and hospital pharmacists in Mie Prefecture

## TL;DR

A workshop on questionnaire-based surveys increased pharmacists' motivation and awareness of conducting research in Mie Prefecture.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that a structured workshop can effectively boost pharmacists' interest in survey-based research.

## Key findings

- After the workshop, no participants disagreed with the benefits of conducting and presenting survey-based research.
- Participants' agreement with conducting surveys increased significantly, with all selecting 'Agree' or 'Somewhat agree' post-workshop.
- The proportion of participants who felt capable of designing a survey-based research project increased from 6.3% to 25%.

## Abstract

Although questionnaire-based surveys enable pharmacists to systematically assess patient needs, healthcare practices, and medication outcomes, it is essential to minimize various biases to ensure that the data obtained from surveys are both reliable and valid. The present study aimed to elucidate whether a workshop on questionnaire-based surveys could enhance research awareness and motivation among community and hospital pharmacists in Mie prefecture.

The workshop comprised three parts: lecture (15 min), group work (90 min), and presentation (60 min). The participants’ awareness and motivation for questionnaire-based survey was assessed through a questionnaire before and after the workshop, focusing on three questions. A customer satisfaction analysis was also conducted to identify areas for improvement in workshops on questionnaire-based surveys for future workshops.

Response rate of the questionnaire was 100% (16/16 participants). In the question 1 “I think that it would be beneficial to conduct a questionnaire-based survey on daily tasks and present the findings at conferences or publish them in academic journals”, no respondents answered “Disagree” when asked after workshop. In the question 2 “I would like to conduct a questionnaire-based survey if there is a specific theme”, the proportions of respondents selecting “Neutral” (p = 0.027) and “Somewhat disagree” (p = 0.001) also decreased after workshop, and all participants responded with either “Agree” or “Somewhat agree.” In the question 3 “I think that I can independently design a research project about questionnaire-based survey.”, the proportion of respondents who selected “Agree” significantly increased from 6.3% before-workshop to 25% after-workshop (p = 0.003). The customer satisfaction graph revealed that only “Understanding of the lecture” was located in the priority maintenance area. On the other hand, “Time allocation of the presentation” and “Usefulness of the mentor” were located in the priority improvement area.

The present study revealed that a workshop for questionnaire-based surveys enhanced research awareness and motivation among community and hospital pharmacists. Increasing the time allocated for discussions among participants was suggested to enhance participant satisfaction and potentially influence their understanding and skills in questionnaire-based surveys.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40780-025-00460-3.