Keywords: Family Practice, Primary Health Care, Publications, Medical Education, Mentors

Background:

Despite the widespread requirement for a research thesis in family medicine residency programs, most of these works do not result in peer-reviewed publications. This represents a significant loss of potential knowledge, local data insights, and academic growth. Previous studies have suggested that barriers such as lack of mentorship, time constraints, limited funding, and insufficient research training may contribute to this gap. However, this issue remains underexplored in a comparative, international context.

Research questions:

1. What are the main barriers preventing family medicine trainees from publishing their theses?
2. Do these barriers differ by country, institutional structure, or cultural-academic expectations?
3. What interventions (e.g., mentoring, funding, writing workshops) could improve publication rates?
4. Are there any problems regarding to lack of interest on academic career in Family Medicine?

Method:

We propose a mixed-method, multi-country exploratory study combining online surveys and semi-structured interviews with recent family medicine graduates. The survey will assess perceived barriers, prior publication experience, and institutional support. Interviews will provide in-depth perspectives. Potential collaborators will be invited to help adapt instruments for local relevance. Target study population would focus on family medicine resident doctors and family medicine specialist who are in their first 5 years like the definition of young doctors by European Young Family Doctors Movement (EYFDM).

Results:

As this is a proposed project, no data have been collected yet. Preliminary anecdotal reports from several countries confirm the existence of this issue and underline the need for structured investigation. We aim to identify recurring patterns and region-specific barriers through collaborative data collection.

Conclusions:

This project seeks to initiate a broader European dialogue on academic output in family medicine training. By identifying the systemic and individual-level barriers, we hope to lay the foundation for practical interventions that promote academic publication culture among early-career family physicians.

Points for discussion:

Would you be interested in joining a European collaborative study?

How can we design a study that captures both institutional and personal factors?

What methods (surveys, interviews, mentorship programs) would you recommend?