Assessment of Perceived Scientific and Social Benefits and Satisfaction Levels among Participants of a Critical Care Academic Conference: A Survey-based Study

BACKGROUND: Academic conferences serve as an important platform for dissemination of research and knowledge. However, there are limited data on the scientific, social, and networking benefits these conferences provide for their participants. METHODS: We conducted a Google form survey-based study to evaluate the scientific and networking benefits and assess satisfaction levels with the conduct of an acute Care conference. Pre- and postconference survey forms were sent to the participants, which were analyzed to assess the participants' expectations and satisfaction levels. RESULTS: A total of 116 matched pre- and postconference responses were analyzed. The residents formed the majority of the respondents. The main objective of attending the conference was to present their scientific work in a public forum (52.6%), followed by attending the workshop (25.9%). In the preconference survey, 58.6% of respondents anticipated hands-on workshop would be the most useful session. However, after attending the conference proceedings, they found other areas like panel discussions (25%) were also useful along with hands-on workshops (38.8%). Overall conference experience was favorable (41.4% excellent), with strong networking opportunities (37.1% excellent) and a high likelihood of future collaboration (31.9% excellent). CONCLUSION: Research presentations and skill enhancement through hands-on workshops were the key drivers of participation in this conference. Networking opportunities were highly valued, particularly for connecting with eminent national speakers and collaborating on scientific writing.