INTRODUCTION Rural communities continue to experience significant challenges recruiting and retaining physicians. The Community Apgar Questionnaire (CAQ) was developed in Idaho in the USA to comprehensively assess the characteristics associated with successful recruitment and retention of rural physicians. The CAQ has been utilised and validated across the USA; however, its value in rural Austr...

BACKGROUND The majority (>95%) of new HIV infection occurs in resource-limited settings, and Cameroon is still experiencing a generalized epidemic with ~122,638 patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). A detrimental outcome in scaling-up ART is the emergence HIV drug resistance (HIVDR), suggesting the need for pragmatic approaches in sustaining a successful ART performance. METHODS A ...

Background Like many other low- and middle-income countries, India faces challenges of recruiting and retaining health workers in rural areas. Efforts have been made to address this through contractual appointment of health workers in rural areas. While this has helped to temporarily bridge the gaps in human resources, the overall impact on the experience of rural services across cadres has yet...

OBJECTIVE To explore the factors that determine whether a patient will initiate treatment within a system of health-care services, and the factors that determine whether the patient will be retained in the chosen system, in Nouna, rural Burkina Faso. METHODS The data used were pooled from four rounds of a household survey conducted in Nouna, rural Burkina Faso. The ongoing demographic surveil...

INTRODUCTION In 2008, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) conducted a survey of rural practitioners. The survey covered incentives to choose rural medicine, current satisfaction, plans for future migration and strategies for retention. METHODS The CMA Canadian Collaborative Centre for Physician Resources, in collaboration with the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada, surveyed 1960 rural ...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of programs that provide financial incentives to physicians in exchange for a rural or underserviced area return-of-service (ROS) commitment. METHODS Medline and Ovid HealthSTAR databases were searched from 1966 to 2002. STUDY SELECTION The initial search yielded 516 results. Bibliography review yielded additional references. Articles were excluded if...

BACKGROUND Access to rural health services is compromised in many countries including Australia due to workforce shortages. The issues that consequently impact on equity of access and sustainability of rural and remote health services are complex. DISCUSSION The purpose of this paper is to describe a number of approaches from the literature that could form the basis of a more integrated appro...

CONTEXT Small towns across the United States struggle to maintain an adequate primary care workforce. PURPOSE To examine factors contributing to physician satisfaction and retention in largely rural areas in Massachusetts, a state with rural pockets and small towns. METHODS A survey mailed in 2004-2005 to primary care physicians, practicing in areas designated by the state as rural, queried...