The research productivity of family medicine department faculty: A national study

The purpose of this study was to determine the research productivity of U.S. medical school family medicine department faculty and the individual faculty characteristics, prior socializing experiences, and research environment characteristics predictive of their research productivity. A national survey was sent to random sample of 796 faculty holding the M.D. or D.O. degree, or in combination with other advanced degrees. The adjusted response rate from valid returns was 63%.;The results showed that 79.3% of the faculty reported spending a half-day or less per week on research. Even though they seem to understand the expectations to produce research, few faculty identified a well-defined research agenda, nor currently have multiple research projects underway. Faculty reported significantly less than one scholarly work per year, with manuscripts for publication being the largest category of scholarship generated. During the last two academic years, 58.2% of faculty reported having no manuscripts accepted for publication, 67.3% no proposals/papers accepted for conference presentations, 75.8% no national government proposals funded, and 84.3% no national private grant proposals funded.;This study also tested a conceptual model of faculty research productivity through full model multiple regressions for several productivity measures. Each regression model included the following composite predictors: prior research training, psychological and cognitive characteristics of faculty concerning research, current research environments, resources for research, prior institutional prestige regarding research, and perceptions of family medicine as a discipline known for research. Models also included the demographic variables of age, years as a faculty member, hours per week spent on research, gender, ethnicity, advanced degree, academic rank, and tenure status. Across all forms of scholarship, the "psychological and cognitive characteristics of faculty" composite was highly predictive of research productivity. The elements of this composite emerge after the first faculty position and include having further developed research skills through formalized research training, a defined research agenda, motivation to do research, and multiple research project underway. The elements of this composite also include having an in-depth knowledge of a research area of specialty, well-developed professional networks, and clear expectations for promotion and tenure.