مقايسه كيفيت پايان نامه هاي دكتري عمومي پزشكي ، دانشگاه هاي علوم پزشكي كشور در سال هاي تحصيلي 71-1370 و 78-1377

Comparison of dissertations quality of medical students in the academic years of 1991-92 and 1998-99: a study on 14 medical schools in Iran

Dissertation writing is a suitable opportunity for students to become familiar with performance of research processes during study years. This study was conducted to compare the quality of medical studentsʹ dissertations of 1991-92 academic year, with that of 1998-99 in 14 medical schools of Iran. Eight hundred and seventeen dissertations(1991-92=410,1998-99=407), were chosen randomly from 4240 dissertations. The original copies of dissertations were evaluated and scored using a questionnaire. Data were analyzed by using Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, t test and Chi-square tests. The study showed that, the median score of medical studentsʹ dissertation in 1991-92, increased from 105 to 288 in 1998-99 academic year (P<0.001). Although the quality of medical students ʹ dissertations has been improved considerably in this period, it is a long way to reach optimal status. It seems we have to implement new strategies so that students involved in researches, have an environment full of creativity and competition to improve the quality of researches. This needs a fundamental reform in long- term planning for medical education in Iran.