Cornerstones for involving General Practitioners in research in Latvia

Ilze Skuja, Rebeka Baiba Jukama, Elina Skuja

Keywords: General Practitioners in research projects, willingness to participate

Background:
Recent years have proved the importance and necessity for new research studies to improve health professionals' work. To increase the quality of research studies, data should be collected from not only admitted patients but also from the general population. General practitioners (GPs) could promote this vital aspect. Unfortunately, the response rate is very low for GPs in Latvia. Therefore it is essential to investigate GPS willingness and attitude towards taking part in scientific research.

Research questions:
What are the most important factors influencing GPs' willingness to participate in research projects?

Method:
An observational, cross-section study in Latvia is done using a self-made questionnaire that is either sent to GPs or filled in during telephone interviews. The survey contains demographic data and 17 questions on GPs' willingness to participate in research studies as well as factors that influence their participation. Questions about interest in pursuing scientific studies themselves and interest in learning/reading about new research were also included to apprehend their interest in science in general. Participants were selected randomly and equally from different regions in Latvia using the National Department of Health (NVD) GPs register. From a total of 1370 GP’s in Latvia. Every 5th from the register was included in the study.

Results:
Collected data will be analyzed by evaluating GP’s gender, age, language skills, experience in the field, number of patients, and location of practice in association with their willingness to participate in studies. GP’s reasons for or against participation in studies will be analyzed using the Likert scale.

Conclusions:
The study results could probably find some instruments to pick up the GPs' response in participating in research projects.

Points for discussion:
Are GPs active in research field in other countries?

What are the instruments for involving GPs in research projects in different countries?