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- Title
Reasons why specialist doctors undertake rural outreach services: an Australian cross-sectional study.
- Authors
O'Sullivan, Belinda G.; McGrail, Matthew R.; Stoelwinder, Johannes U.
- Abstract
<bold>Background: </bold>The purpose of the study is to explore the reasons why specialist doctors travel to provide regular rural outreach services, and whether reasons relate to (1) salaried or private fee-for-service practice and (2) providing rural outreach services in more remote locations.<bold>Methods: </bold>A national cross-sectional study of specialist doctors from the Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life (MABEL) survey in 2014 was implemented. Specialists providing rural outreach services self-reported on a 5-point scale their level of agreement with five reasons for participating. Chi-squared analysis tested association between agreement and variables of interest.<bold>Results: </bold>Of 567 specialists undertaking rural outreach services, reasons for participating include to grow the practice (54%), maintain a regional connection (26%), provide complex healthcare (18%), healthcare for disadvantaged people (12%) and support rural staff (6%). Salaried specialists more commonly participated to grow the practice compared with specialists in fee-for-service practice (68 vs 49%). This reason was also related to travelling further and providing outreach services in outer regional/remote locations. Private fee-for-service specialists more commonly undertook outreach services to provide complex healthcare (22 vs 14%).<bold>Conclusions: </bold>Specialist doctors undertake rural outreach services for a range of reasons, mainly to complement the growth and diversity of their main practice or maintain a regional connection. Structuring rural outreach around the specialist's main practice is likely to support participation and improve service distribution.
- Subjects
AUSTRALIA; MEDICAL specialties &; specialists; WORK-life balance; OUTREACH programs; MEDICAL care for people with disabilities; RURAL geography; ATTITUDE (Psychology); HEALTH services accessibility; MEDICAL personnel; MEDICALLY underserved areas; MOTIVATION (Psychology); PHYSICIANS; RURAL health services; RURAL population; WAGES; CROSS-sectional method; FEE for service (Medical fees)
- Publication
Human Resources for Health, 2017, Vol 15, p1
- ISSN
1478-4491
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.1186/s12960-016-0174-z