Impact of support initiatives on retaining rural general practitioners

Gardiner, Maria; Sexton, Roger; Kearns, H. G. H.; Marshall, Kelly Michele

doi:10.1111/j.1440-1584.2006.00808.x

Cited by 35 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Importantly, previous research has indicated that improving the psychological well-being of rural GPs increases the likelihood of retaining them in rural practice [14]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

GP registrar well-being: a cross-sectional survey

Schattner

Mazalin

Pier

et al. 2010

Asia Pacific Family Medicine

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ObjectivesTo investigate the major stressors affecting GP registrars, how those at risk can be best identified and the most useful methods of managing or reducing their stress.Design, setting and participantsCross-sectional postal questionnaire of all GP registrars in one large regional training provider's catchment area.Main outcome measuresThe Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS), a specifically developed Registrar Stressor Scale consisting of five subscales of potential stressors, plus closed questions on how to identify and manage stress in GP registrars.ResultsSurvey response rate of 51% (102/199). Rural difficulties followed by achieving a work/life balance were the principal stressors. Ten percent of registrars were mildly or moderately depressed or anxious (DASS) and 7% mild to moderately anxious (DASS). Registrars preferred informal means of identifying those under stress (a buddy system and talks with their supervisors); similarly, they preferred to manage stress by discussions with family and friends, debriefing with peers and colleagues, or undertaking sport and leisure activities.ConclusionsThis study supports research which confirms that poor psychological well-being is an important issue for a significant minority of GP trainees. Regional training providers should ensure that they facilitate formal and informal strategies to identify those at risk and assist them to cope with their stress.

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“…Importantly, previous research has indicated that improving the psychological well-being of rural GPs increases the likelihood of retaining them in rural practice [14]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

GP registrar well-being: a cross-sectional survey

Schattner

Mazalin

Pier

et al. 2010

Asia Pacific Family Medicine

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“…29 Three retrospective cohort studies reported on the effects of a medical education programme, 33 a loan repayment scheme 50 , and a compulsory service programme. 43 Five studies used a before-and-after design: two looked at clinical rural placements, 23,25 and one in each of the compulsory service, 32 financial incentives 39 and personal or professional support programmes. 44 Only one study used a control group in comparing the results of a financial incentives programme between rural physicians enrolled in the scheme and those who were not.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One study on financial incentives in South Africa found that the allowance had positively influenced the future plans of health workers, particularly nurses, to work in a rural area. 29 Positive changes in the intentions to stay in rural areas were also reported in a continuing professional development programme, 30 a programme using financial incentives for long-serving rural doctors in Australia, 31 a personal support programme for rural general practitioners in Australia, 32 a programme providing rural clinical experiences to medical students, and a scholarship scheme for medical students, the latter two in the United States of America (USA) 33,34 Recruitment Seven studies have reported the effects of interventions on the number of graduates or health workers actually recruited in underserved areas following their implementation. Two multifaceted educational programmes in the USA have consistently shown a steady increase in the number of their graduates recruited to work in rural areas.…”

Section: Attractivenessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Two studies reported that certain competencies of health workers improved as a result of retention interventions, 30,38 while improved job satisfaction was reported in five evaluations of retention strategies. 32,34,39,44,45 Finally, four studies reported on the effects of rural retention interventions on service delivery and communities, in terms of improved quality of care, reduced referrals and reduced waiting times 33,38,46,47 (Appendix D, available at: http://www.who. int/hrh/resources/evaluation_tables).…”

Section: Impactmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluated strategies to increase attraction and retention of health workers in remote and rural areas

Dolea

Stormont

Braichet

2010

Bull. World Health Organ.

317

320

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Une traduction en français de ce résumé figure à la fin de l'article. Al final del artículo se facilita una traducción al español. ‫املقالة.‬ ‫لهذه‬ ‫الكامل‬ ‫النص‬ ‫نهاية‬ ‫يف‬ ‫الخالصة‬ ‫لهذه‬ ‫العربية‬ ‫الرتجمة‬ Abstract The lack of health workers in remote and rural areas is a worldwide concern. Many countries have proposed and implemented interventions to address this issue, but very little is known about the effectiveness of such interventions and their sustainability in the long run. This paper provides an analysis of the effectiveness of interventions to attract and retain health workers in remote and rural areas from an impact evaluation perspective. It reports on a literature review of studies that have conducted evaluations of such interventions. It presents a synthesis of the indicators and methods used to measure the effects of rural retention interventions against several policy dimensions such as: attractiveness of rural or remote areas, deployment/recruitment, retention, and health workforce and health systems performance. It also discusses the quality of the current evidence on evaluation studies and emphasizes the need for more thorough evaluations to support policy-makers in developing, implementing and evaluating effective interventions to increase availability of health workers in underserved areas and ultimately contribute to reaching the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals.

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“…For example, the "Dr Doc" programme launched in South Australia in 2006 has set up various support mechanisms such as telephone consultations, crisis support, links to urban general practitioners (GPs) who provide health care for rural GPs and their families, as well as country practice retreats to allow rural GPs some rest and relaxation. This has reportedly reduced the number of rural physicians who want to leave their practice (94).…”

Section: Summary Of the Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

Geographical mobility of general practitioners in rural Australia

McGrail

Humphreys

2015

Medical Journal of Australia

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Objective: To describe the geographical mobility of general practitioners in Australia, both within rural areas and between rural and metropolitan areas. Design and participants: Annual panel survey of GPs between 2008 and 2012. Main outcome measures: Work location, categorised by a typology based on geographical location and community size; frequency of mobility (change of location category); and characteristics of those who moved. Results: There were 3906 participants in 2008 (representative cohort, 19% of Australia's GP workforce) and 3502, 3514, 3287 and 3361 in subsequent years. 1810 GPs participated in all 5 years, and 10 900 origin–destination pairs were observed after removing GP registrars from the dataset. A total of 133 GPs moved from rural to metropolitan locations, 103 moved from metropolitan to rural locations, and 271 observed location changes were within rural areas. Annual location retention rates were 95% in regional centres, 90% in small rural towns and 82% in very remote areas. GPs in small towns of < 5000 residents had the highest risk of leaving rural practice. Mobility rates were significantly higher for GPs who had worked in a location for under 3 years and those working as either contracted or salaried employees, and somewhat higher for international medical graduates. Younger age was a small predictor of increased mobility, while sex and family status had no association with mobility. Conclusion: GPs working in small communities and those in a rural location for less than 3 years are most at risk of leaving rural practice.

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Impact of support initiatives on retaining rural general practitioners

Cited by 35 publications

References 5 publications

GP registrar well-being: a cross-sectional survey

GP registrar well-being: a cross-sectional survey

Evaluated strategies to increase attraction and retention of health workers in remote and rural areas

Geographical mobility of general practitioners in rural Australia

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