Barriers to Student Research from the Perspectives of Nursing, Health, and Medical Sciences Students: A Cross‑Sectional Study

Background: Research is a key prerequisite for professional development in medical sciences. There is limited authoritative information about the barriers to student research. Objective: The objective of this study was done to identify barriers to student research from the perspectives of nursing and medical science students. Methods: This cross‑sectional study was done in 2017, on 250 students randomly selected among nursing, medicine, and paramedic and health sciences students. A researcher‑made, barriers to student research questionnaire was used for data collection. The questionnaire contained 32 items on personal, organizational, educational, environmental, technical, and quality‑ and result‑related barriers to student research. The possible total score of the questionnaire and its subscales was 1–5. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, and the independent‑samples t‑test. Results: There were barriers in all domains; however, respectively, the most important barriers to student research were environmental (3.70 ± 0.72), technical (3.59 ± 0.6), quality‑ and result‑related (3.29 ± 0.67) barriers. More educational barriers to research were reported by nursing students and those with less previous experience in research activities (P < 0.05). Conclusion: In order of importance, the barriers to student research are environmental, technical, quality‑ and result‑related barriers. The findings of this study highlighted the importance of providing students with necessary facilities and counseling in the area of research