Retaining VA Women’s Health Primary Care Providers: Work Setting Matters

Abstract

When an experienced provider opts to leave a healthcare workforce (attrition), there are significant costs, both direct and indirect. Turnover of healthcare providers is underreported and understudied, despite evidence that it negatively impacts care delivery and negatively impacts working conditions for remaining providers. In the Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system, attrition of women's health primary care providers (WH-PCPs) threatens a specially trained workforce; it is unknown what factors contribute to, or protect against, their attrition. Based on evidence that clinic environment, adequate support resources, and workload affect provider burnout and intent to leave, we explored if such clinic characteristics predict attrition of WH-PCPs in the VA, to identify protective factors. This analysis drew on two waves of existing national VA survey data to examine predictors of WH-PCP attrition, via logistic regression. All 2,259 providers from 140 facilities VA-wide who were WH-PCPs on September 30, 2016. The dependent variable was WH-PCP attrition in the following year. Candidate predictors were clinic environment (working in: a comprehensive women's health center, a limited women's health clinic, a general primary care clinic, or multiple clinic environments), availability of co-located specialty support resources (mental health, social work, clinical pharmacy), provider characteristics (gender, professional degree), and clinic workload (clinic sessions per week). Working exclusively in a comprehensive women's health center uniquely predicted significantly lower risk of WH-PCP attrition (adjusted odds ratio 0.40; CI 0.19-0.86). A comprehensive women's health center clinical context may promote retention of this specially trained primary care workforce. Exploring potential mechanisms-e.g., shared mission, appropriate support to meet patients' needs, or a cohesive team environment-may inform broader efforts to retain front-line providers.