Preparing the future of research on deprescribing: results from a survey
of early career researchers at the 2nd International Conference on
Deprescribing
Abstract
Background The deprescribing research field is growing with the
recent International Conferences on Deprescribing (ICOD). Early career
researchers (ECRs) often face challenges regarding their career
development. Objective This study identified ECRs in the
deprescribing field, the challenges they face, and potential strategies
to support them. Methods An online survey was sent to ECR
participants who registered for ICOD2 held in Nantes, France, September
2024. The survey contained 13 questions on demographics, research focus,
conference participation, and future directions. A comparison between
clinician researchers and full-time researchers identified differences
in the challenges they encounter. Results We received a total
of 47 (90.4%) responses from 52 participants registered as ECRs.
Thirty-four (72.3%) had one or more presentations at the conference.
The most common challenges identified by full-time researchers were
access to data (7, 33.3%) and funding (7, 33.3%) and for clinician
researchers it was time constraints (16, 61.5%), whereas only few (6,
28.6%) full time researchers reported this ( p=0.044).
Conclusion While a substantial number of ECRs participated and
were engaged at all levels of ICOD2, our survey highlighted that meeting
and networking are highly valued. Our findings could provide insights
for the development of future ECR initiatives.