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Gaps exist in prevention-oriented, population-oriented research among endocrinologists
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Endocrinologists’ research choices appear to depend on their work settings, although trends show that physicians from all workplaces generally opt to focus on patient- and disease-centered work as opposed to population and prevention studies.
To gain insight into subspecialty physicians’ participation in early-career administrative, clinical, teaching and research work, Claude Desjardins, PhD, of the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago, and colleagues conducted a Web-based survey of physicians who joined The Endocrine Society between 1991 and 2005. Participants were aged 49 years or younger upon joining the organization; had earned a MD or equivalent degree; resided in the United States or Canada; and were licensed to practice medicine.
Eight hundred seventeen society members responded, representing 29.6% of all eligible participants.
Research priorities
According to survey results, all respondents participated in teaching, research, administration and patient care. However, the amount of time dedicated to each task varied considerably with a physician’s workplace. For example, about 36% of clinical care providers engaged in research, whereas more than 87% of federal employees and an even higher percentage of physicians working in pharmaceutical, biotech and academic arenas reported research commitments.
Patient-oriented studies were most popular among clinical care providers and those working in the pharmaceutical or biotech industry; disease-oriented work was a priority for federal respondents. An equal distribution across most types of research was noted for physicians in the academic arena. Nevertheless, among all surveyed physicians, prevention-oriented studies ranked lowest of all research categories.
“I hope new investigators entering the research arena will use the results [of this study] to close some of the gaps that exist in endocrine research,” Desjardins told Endocrine Today.
Realities of research careers
Respondents reported that the expectation to consistently publish study findings, obtain research support and an association with lower income hampered interest in research careers. Desjardins and colleagues substantiated this association by finding an estimated 2.8% decrease in annual earnings for every half-day spent on research.
Results also revealed a significant disparity between men and women, with men earning more and occupying more tenured positions in academic settings than women.
The researchers said they hoped that results of this survey will create awareness of these issues and be used to ameliorate these problems.
“Our findings provide a starting point for initiating a national dialogue aimed at the application of improvement tools to enhance the quality of clinical investigation within all workplaces,” they concluded.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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