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CARDIOVASCULAR JOURNAL OF AFRICA • Volume 28, No 5, September/October 2017
AFRICA
339
Course objectives
After administration of the pre-test, Anastase Dzudie presented
the objectives of the course, which included equipping clinicians
and other health professionals with the methodological skills
needed to conduct clinical research, from asking a research
question and choosing the best study design, to publishing their
research findings in a peer-reviewed journal. He also presented
the CRENC as an international organisation, made up of
medical researchers and clinicians with the vision of enhancing
the practice of evidence-based medicine in Africa via research.
How to ask a research question
Dr Dzudie, in his presentation on how to ask a research
question, reiterated that a research question is the starting point
of every study. The key message from this presentation was that
a research question must be one that is relevant, feasible, specific,
ethical, and whose answers will add to existing knowledge on the
topic in question.
Study designs
In his presentation on study designs focused on how a research
question dictates the study design, Dr Dzekem enlightened
participants on what a study design is, various types of study
designs, and why choosing the correct study design is important.
Using popular studies such as the May measurement month
(MMM), the INTERHEART, Framingham and PAPUCO
studies, and the INVICTUS and CREOLE trials as illustration,
he showed how a research question can be used to select the
appropriate study design, as well as their advantages and
disadvantages. He concluded that the choice of study design
depends on the research goals, the researchers’ beliefs, values and
skills, availability of time and resources, and research questions.
How to write and publish a scientific article
Building on his experience as editor of several journals, this
presentation by Dr Dzudie focused on how to avoid pitfalls
in preparing manuscripts, the natural lifecycle of a scientific
manuscript and how to get a scientific article published in a
medical journal. His key messages were the following:
•
An unpublished work has no value, and is unethical.
•
Publishing begins as early as when the protocol is written, and
not after the study has been completed.
•
Patience and perseverance are the keys for the success of a
manuscript.
He concluded by insisting on the relevance of team building
and leadership in research and offering a word of thanks to
participants and the SICARD.
Post-test and results
Following the presentations, the CRENC team answered several
questions from the audience, not only on presented topics,
but on research as a whole. Dr M Abanda coordinated the
administration of the post-test with the same questions that
were initially administered. In his closing speech, the chair of the
session acknowledged the CRENC team and all the participants
in the training session.
Out of 50 participants, 49 (98%) took the pre-test and 43/45
(95.5%) took the post-test. Overall, the trend in performance
was better in the post-test compared to the pre-test, although
this was not statistically significant (Fig. 2). The course had its
greatest influence on participants’ performance in the ‘How to
publish’ section (Table 1). The real impact of this course however
can only be assessed by an increase in the number and quality of
publications from course participants.
Conclusion
Africa’s needs for research capacity building are huge but with
a good vision, clear objectives and support for a multi-level
team driving the strategy, change is possible. CRENC’s belief
is that if identified earlier in their career and appropriately
trained, talented individuals will lead research programmes at
their institutions, resulting in increased research productivity.
This is fundamental to generate research evidence that will guide
policy, strengthen good medical practice and maximise the use of
resources to improve healthcare on the continent.
References
1.
The next pandemic? Non-communicable diseases in developing coun-
tries. [Internet] [cited 2017 May 20]. Available from: http://accessacceler-
ated.economist.com/reports/thenextpandemic/.2.
Dzudie A, Aminde L, Sliwa K. The way forward for clinical research in
Cameroon: first scientific and research day in Douala, 2014.
Cardiovasc
J Afr
2014;
25
(5): 250.
3.
Knowledge gap. In:
Encyclopedia of Survey Research Methods
[Internet].
Sage Publications, Inc, 2008 [cited 2017 May 16]. Available from:
http://methods.sagepub.com/reference/encyclopedia-of-survey-research-methods/n263.xml.
4.
Dzudie A, Sliwa K. Addressing the shortage of research capacity in
cardiovascular disease in Africa via leadership training.
Heart Asia
2017;
9
(1): 96–98.
Table 1. Comparison of median scores for
performance in pre- and post-tests
ISCReM performance
Pre-test: median
(25th – 75th percentile)
(
n
= 49)
Post-test: median
(25th – 75th percentile)
(
n
= 43)
p
-value
(Mann–
Whitney)
Research question
50.0 (37.5–83.30)
50.0 (33.3–66.67)
0.14
Research design
60.0 (40.0–80.0)
80.0 (50.0–80.0)
0.29
How to publish
53.3 (40.0–66.7)
66.7 (60.0–73.3)
0.07
Total score
57.7 (39.4–68.2)
61.5 (50.0–73.1)
0.35
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49
100
80
60
40
20
0
post-test
pre-test
Fig. 2.
Trends in overall performance.