Proposed Topic (Most preferred): :
Staff Engagement and Empowerment (motivating staff / teamwork / work revamp tackling manpower issue / staff wellness / OSH / retention)
Authors (including presenting author) :
KWC-CRC(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Clinical Research Centre, Kowloon West Cluster
Introduction :
The Kowloon West Cluster Clinical Research Centre (KWC-CRC) was established to address the limited research support available in non-university affiliated public hospitals. The centre aims to promote research activities and facilitate investigators in conducting researches. It offers support in research design and analysis, field implementation, funding, and training. The CRC statistical consulting service provides one-on-one research consultation and biostatistical support to ensure robust methodologies and appropriate analytical techniques. Field support services assist with project implementation, including budget preparation, data collection, and specimen handling. The Mini Research Grant provides financial support for clinical research initiatives up to HK$50,000. Quarterly events focus on training and cultivating a culture of clinical research through study presentations, sharing talks, workshops and lectures.
Objectives :
To assess the research support needs in KWC and evaluate satisfaction with CRC services.
Methodology :
CRC service records were collected. Online survey was conducted to understand the need of research support in 2021 and satisfaction survey was conducted for the CRC service users in 2023.
Result & Outcome :
The results from 348 respondents in the survey for research support need indicated a high demand for statistical support (98%), as well as other needs such as research ethics application (93%), grant (89%), and field support (97%). However, only 36% of respondents stated sufficient support from their departments. Results also revealed that the importance (1-5: not important - absolutely essential) of statistical educational services were highly valued by respondents, regardless of the format, including videos (3.7±1.1), seminars (3.8±1.0), in-person consultations (4.5±0.8), and workshops (4.1±0.9). In-person consultation was significantly more important than other formats (P<0.001). Over the past five years, the CRC organized 12 research training events, provided statistical consultation for 308 studies, supported 21 research grants, and facilitated field implementation for three projects. Among these, 40 manuscripts were published in local and international journals. A satisfaction survey among 48 CRC users in the past two years showed high satisfaction for the main services, namely statistical consultation (97.6%), field support (100%), Mini Research Grant (100%), and quarterly events (100%). There were no instances of dissatisfaction, but requests for more in-person consultations and educational videos or workshops were raised. The services provided in CRC effectively bridge the gap between research support needs and the limited support available in clinical settings. Statistical education is highly important and CRC services gained high user satisfaction.
