D. Chukwuma1, H.D. Ogundipe2, K.I. Egbuchulem2
- Department of Periodontology, University College Hospital, Ibadan.
- Division of Paediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, University College Hospital, Ibadan.
Introduction
The driving force for biological science is the investigation of biological processes and the causes of disease through careful experimentation, observation, laboratory work, analysis, and testing. Doctors and scientists keep exploring ways to utilise the knowledge from biomedical science to mitigate and cure disease through continuous research work. The impact of these research works is dwarfed without appropriate and well-reviewed publications. Publication of research findings harnesses the productivity of the researchers and enhances the quality of teaching and career development that can inûuence the production of graduates and specialist doctors alike that can translate acquired knowledge to socioeconomic development. Developed nations such as the United States of America and the United Kingdom continue to utilise the benefits of biomedical sciences and research to build the capacity of their economies and development in all sectors, hence the need for more financial investment and collaboration with research institutions.
Annals of Ibadan Postgraduate Medicine (AIPM) Journal, an arm of the Association of Resident Doctors, University College Hospital Ibadan, is noted for bridging the gap between the activity of biomedical research and publication through its peer-reviewed system and open access journal. The presence of AIPM in 21st Century Nigeria Teaching Hospital has become a reference in excellence in biomedical research. This is defined on the premise of regular production of at least two issues per year of a peer-reviewed medical journal of international standard, featuring high-quality, informative, educative, and current medical and medical-related topics.
Biomedical research entails basic experimental medicine, which encompasses the investigation of biological processes and causes of disease to help the body of knowledge in the prevention and cure of disease conditions with practicable product invention.1 Through ongoing study, doctors and scientists continue to look for ways to apply the understanding of biological science to prevent and treat illness.2 The influence of these research projects is negligible in the absence of relevant and deserving publications.3 The dissemination of research discoveries fosters and maximises research productivity; improves career development and instruction, which can impact the generation of graduates and specialist doctors who can apply their expertise to socioeconomic advancement as demonstrated in advanced nations.4-6 Biomedical research is institutional5, and the University College Hospital, as an institution, provides the right setting for undergraduate medical students and postgraduate resident doctors to engage in effective biomedical research through its training. The research angle of the training is apparently supported by an arm of the Association of Resident Doctors: Annals of Ibadan Postgraduate Medicine (AIPM) Journal through encouraging the atmosphere for biomedical research, scientific writing, and publication, hence promoting and sustaining the practice of evidence based medicine among doctors and other biomedical research scientists.7 It also provides a medium through which today’s biomedical research scientists can be adequately equipped to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
It is well known that good research has a positive impact on teaching, learning, and the quality of graduates. Excellent research work is incomplete without publishing. The act of research publication is what calls for excellence that births the benefits of biomedical research, namely, increase and preservation of knowledge base in mitigation of diseases, continuous training in the university system, ranking among universities, incitement for research grants, enhancement of job satisfaction, and career progression. Worthy to note is the peculiarity of the Nigeria experience, where though her population is over 200 million, with at least 170 universities and 43 medical schools, poor health indices still abound.5 The foregoing cannot be entirely separated from poor biomedical scholarship arising from failures associated with inappropriate research publishing.8
Impediments to Excellent Biomedical Research
There is no doubt about the constraining factors such as paucity of funds and apathy towards research as it is experienced in some parts of the world; the subSaharan region with Nigeria as a case study.4,9 This was not always the case, as the University of Ibadan was noted to be 4th among other Commonwealth nations in medical education and research as far back as the 1970s.5 At the time, the Federal Government of Nigeria funded very few universities; such institutions were well-equipped, with highly motivated academic staff. The situation changed for the worse during the ensuing decades of military rule (the 1960s to the end of the 1990s).5
Notwithstanding the financial impediment associated with the process of research, the creation of AIPM in December 2023 has provided a soft landing for Resident Doctors to effectively carry out their research and publish in her reputable journal. The presence of AIPMed does not only provide residents and scientists an avenue for publication of biomedical research works, but it also makes its contribution to the medical citadel of learning by creating the ecology for cross ventilation of medical ideas at a highly subsidised rate for its members through its bi-annual publication indexed with PubMed and its attendant advantages.