Many thanks to all of you who responded to our survey on research, both from the January newsletter and at the Spring Meeting in Derry.

The purpose of the exercise was twofold: firstly to try to find out more about the type of research that trainees in geriatrics are engaged in, and second, to try to ascertain where the barriers are, that make it hard for people to get involved in research.

We know that there are many of you who have no interest in research at all. Conversely, there are a few of you who are probably so keen on research that no amount of obstacles will prevent you from following your chosen career path. We are most interested in assisting the group in the middle – those of you who have an interest, but who might need some information on how to get started.

The results
We received 122 replies; 99 from the BGS newsletter and 23 from BGS Spring meeting. This represents about a quarter of the trainees in the UK.

Of those prepared to take time out of their rotation for research, 51 respondents indicated how much time they would be prepared to devote to research:

Up to 1 year 15/51 (29%)
>1-2 years 25/51 (49%)
>2-3 years 11/51 (22%)

Obstacles to research
63 of you answered the following questions on possible obstacles to research:

We have made a start on dismantling some of these barriers.

Current involvement in research:

Studying for a higher degree 46/121 (38.0%)

Would like to obtain a higher degree 81/113 (71.7%)

Currently involved in research 68/121 (56.2%)

Previously involved in research 69/119 (58.0%)

Would like to undertake a period of research 67/104 (64.4%)

Prepared to take time out to do research 64/106 (60.4%)

Discussion
The main finding from this brief survey is that there are many trainees who are interested in doing research, but who do not know how to get from ‘I want to do some research’ to ‘I am doing a research project’. Specifically, trainees commonly stated that they do not know how to get funding or to develop research ideas. There are clearly opportunities here for the BGS to help, whether via ‘how to’ seminars, web-based information, research mentors or other initiatives.

With a response rate of about 25%, this survey should not be viewed as a census of research activity amongst trainees. It does however give us useful information as to how we might help those of you who are interested in research. The first point is that there are a substantial number of trainees who are interested in research, would not mind taking some time out of their training to do research, and who would like to obtain a higher degree.

The second point is that there are a number of perceived barriers to doing research – regardless of whether such resources actually exist. Not everyone wants to do research. Some people do not want to take time out to do research; we need to ensure that opportunities for research can be integrated with clinical duties for those unwilling to take time out.

The past three issues have featured stories of how trainees got into research, as will the next few issues. So far, most of our featured researchers meandered into research “by dint of circumstance” rather than by design. All have benefitted from their period in research and have no regrets.

Trainees website
The Trainees section of the BGS website now has a useful selection of ‘how-to’ articles to start you thinking about how to embark on a research project.

We would like to collect information from all the UK departments of academic geriatric medicine, with a view to compiling a list of each department’s research interests, and who to contact for supervision and development of ideas.

We are also building a list of trainees and new consultants who have done research and would be willing to give advice on how to get into research.

Watch this space – we will keep you updated on progress over the next few months. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions for useful resources, please drop us a line:

Miles Witham: m.witham@dundee.ac.uk
Phyo Myint: pkaywmyint@aol.com
Alasdair MacLullich: a.maclullich@ed.ac.uk

Acknowledgements: We would like to thank the BGS Academic and Research Committee, BGS Administration and Registration office staff for their support and assistance.