Determinants of an academic career and barriers to research among young otolaryngologists in Europe.

BACKGROUND: Engagement in scientific research among early-career otolaryngology-head and neck surgery (OHNS) physicians across Europe varies widely and may be shaped by personal and institutional factors. The main aim was to identify determinants of an academic career among young OHNS physicians in Europe. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among OHNS physicians aged 45 years or younger in Europe. The primary outcome was a descriptive overview of the characteristics, training, work organization, institutional support, satisfaction, and scientific productivity of young OHNS physicians. Three secondary outcomes were also considered: assessing the benefits of holding a research degree for an academic career, identifying determinants associated with quality of working life (QWL) in research, and evaluating predictors of high-quality scientific production, assessed by an h-index ≥ 5. RESULTS: A total of 158 participants from 27 countries responded to the survey (response rate: 83.6%), allowing for a large overview of determinants and barriers to an academic career in OHNS. In terms of high-quality scientific production, male sex (OR = 4.43 [1.36-16.35]), working in Western Europe (OR = 10.56 [2.10-64.60]), holding or pursuing a research degree (OR = 9.42 [2.50-42.74]), and having high access to funding (OR = 13.21 [2.45-105.61]) were independent predictors of an h-index ≥ 5. CONCLUSIONS: Several determinants of an academic-career among young European OHNS physicians were identified by this survey. However, many barriers also emerged, such as working outside of Western Europe, being female, having low access to funding, or insufficient time dedicated to research.