{"doi":"10.4102/phcfm.v12i1.2387","title":"Mixed-methods evaluation of family medicine research training and peer mentorship in Lesotho","abstract":"BACKGROUND: Strengthening primary care research capacity is a priority globally. Family medicine training programmes in sub-Saharan Africa represent an important opportunity to build primary care research; however, they are often limited by insufficient research training and mentorship. Peers can be used to extend research mentorship capacity, but have not been evaluated in this context. AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate one family medicine training programme's research capacity building efforts through a blended research curriculum and peer mentorship. SETTING: Lesotho is a landlocked country within South Africa of approximately two million people. The Family Medicine Specialty Training Programme (FMSTP) is the only accredited postgraduate medical education programme in Lesotho. METHODS: This two-year mixed-methods evaluation used: (1) Likert-scale surveys measuring trainee research confidence, (2) written evaluations by trainees, peers, programme faculty and administrators and (3) in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Survey data were analysed using Friedman and sign tests. Interview and written data were analysed thematically via a mixed inductive-deductive approach using Cooke's framework. RESULTS: Family Medicine Specialty Training Programme trainees (n = 8) experienced moderate increases in research confidence that were statistically significant. Skill-building occurred primarily via experiential learning. Research was grounded in trainees' clinical practice and locally relevant. A positive research culture was created, promising for sustainability. We identified infrastructure gaps, including funding and protected time. Peer research mentorship supported trainees' motivation and provided a safe space for questions. CONCLUSION: The FMSTP research curriculum and peer mentorship programme were successful in positively impacting a number of Cooke's research capacity domains. This evaluation identified improvements that are now being implemented.","journal":"African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine","year":2020,"id":84267,"datarank":0.0,"base_score":0.0,"endowment":0.0,"self_citation_contribution":0.0,"citation_network_contribution":0.0,"self_endowment_contribution":0.0,"citer_contribution":0.0,"corpus_percentile":null,"corpus_rank":null,"citation_count":10,"citer_count":0,"citers_with_citation_signal":0,"citers_with_endowment":0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":false,"is_dataset_confidence":0.957,"is_data_producer":false,"deposit_databanks":null,"is_oa":true,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":"2020-01-01","fair_score":null,"fair_percentile":null,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":433276,"name":"Kaitlyn M. Riffenburg","orcid":null,"position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":432439,"name":"Sebaka Malope","orcid":"0000-0002-2382-0920","position":2,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":432440,"name":"Brian W. Jack","orcid":"0000-0002-6497-2437","position":3,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":432441,"name":"Christina P. C. Borba","orcid":"0000-0003-3559-9351","position":4,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":432438,"name":"Chelsea M. McGuire","orcid":"0000-0001-8562-790X","position":0,"is_corresponding":true}],"reference_count":22,"raw_metadata":null,"created_at":"2026-07-18T21:54:50.827092Z","pmid":"33181879","pmcid":null,"fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"oa_status":null,"license":null,"views":0,"total_file_size_bytes":0,"version_count":0,"fair_f":null,"fair_a":null,"fair_i":null,"fair_r":null,"fair_zscore":null,"fair_rationale":null,"fair_model":null,"fair_agent_version":null,"fair_fulltext_source":null,"fair_has_llm":null,"fair_computed_at":null,"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"db_accessions":[],"linked_datasets":[],"topics":[]}