Abstract
As part of a larger case study exploring physician retention factors and strategies employed by rural communities, the objective of this analysis was to explore the community factors that promoted physician retention. A qualitative, collective case study design was employed to study four rural communities (cases) in Alberta that retained family physicians for four years or longer. Participants included physicians, staff members, spouses and community members (all were patients from the communities studied). Communities were selected through a retention-specific matrix; each quadrant represented a particular community typology. Case data collected from interviews, documents and observations were analyzed, and similarities and differences among cases were assessed. A range of community factors that could influence physicians' decisions to stay in a particular community were described by participants. Four themes, Appreciation, Connection, Active Support and Physical/Recreational Assets, were positively related to physician retention in the four communities studied. These community factors existed to different degrees but were present in all communities. Reciprocity was a fifth factor that emerged in three of the four communities studied. Physicians, policy-makers, community members and health care professionals are encouraged to consider the community domain when planning and implementing strategies to retain rural physicians and other health care professionals. The four communities studied were able to promote retention of their primary care physicians by showing appreciation to them, building connections with them and their families, actively supporting their physicians and local health facilities, maintaining and improving local physical/recreational amenities, and nurturing reciprocal rapport with physicians.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
More From: Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.