Perceptions, Attitudes, and Barriers of Undergraduate Medical Students Towards Research at Sinnar University, Sudan

Backgrounds : Health research training is an essential element in advanced undergraduate medical education. The study aims to understand perceptions, attitudes, and perceived barriers toward research among medical students as a backbone for integrating adequate research training settings and departments at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Sinnar (FMUS). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2023 and February 2024 among undergraduate medical students at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Sinnar. The questionnaire consisted of demographic data, students’ perceptions, attitudes, and barriers. A dataset of 258 medical students was organized, structured, validated, and analyzed using Jamovi 2.4.11 software. The level of statistical significance was defined as P ≤ 0.05. While the data visualization and figures were done with the RStudio version 2023.12.1. Results: A total of 246 questionnaires were included in the study. In general, the most medical students had a positive perception towards research, with a significant difference between academic grades. 80.1% of students show their interest in conducting research. However, more than two-thirds of students (70.7%) had a negative attitude towards research. The most common barriers were a lack of well-equipped laboratory facilities, a lack of supportive staff, and a lack of adequate funding for student research. Conclusion: The majority of the students demonstrated positive perceptions and a high interest in conducting research. However, most medical students exhibited a negative attitude toward research, with significant differences for SMSA activities participants.