SynthesisBMC family practice2020
Determining factors in the retention of physicians in rural and underdeveloped areas: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC family practice, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 55 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
55 citing papers in PubMed.
- Social Determinants of Health-Related Outcomes in an Intervention Following Initial Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Implantation.Journal of the American Heart Association · 2025Trial
- Exploring long-term retention intention and influencing factors among rural-oriented medical students in primary care in Guangxi, China: a qualitative study.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Community Relationships and Physician Retention in Clinician Shortage Areas.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- "Kind of Feel Like the Lone Outpost": A Qualitative Exploration of Barriers to Professional Development for Rural Primary Care Providers at the Veterans Health Administration.The Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association · 2026Article
- From training to practice: a longitudinal study on the retention and career entry of young general practitioners in Czechia.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- From class consciousness to class suicide: considering community integration as a primary care ethic.Family medicine and community health · 2026Article
- Restrategizing health human resources for India's Public Health System.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2026Article
- Area remoteness and the distribution and attrition of the rural health workforce in Australia.Human resources for health · 2026Article
- Evaluating rural healthcare workforce programs: Applying modified whole-of-person retention improvement framework in VHA programs.The Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association · 2026Article
- Physicians shortage in primary care: a protocol for updating a systematic review of recruitment and retention strategies.F1000Research · 2026Article
- Factors and a configurational pathway associated with lower turnover intention among high-level medical professionals in county-level hospitals in China: a multicenter cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Retention of general practitioners with compulsory rural areas: evidence from a 5-year prospective cohort study in China.BMJ global health · 2025Article
- Facilitators, barriers, and priorities for enhancing primary care recruitment and retention in Saskatchewan, Canada.BMC primary care · 2025Article
- Physician turnover in China, 2011-2021: a nationwide longitudinal study.Human resources for health · 2025Article
- Factors Positively Influencing GP Obstetricians to Remain in Rural and Remote Obstetric Practice.The Australian journal of rural health · 2025Article
- Assessing the impact of physician supply inequality on mortality in China: implications for global health.International journal for equity in health · 2025Article
- Influences of Western Cape community service doctors' choice regarding public, rural practice.South African family practice : official journal of the South African Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care · 2025Observational
- Equity in the cardiothoracic surgical workforce: addressing training gaps and workforce distribution in Africa- a narrative review.BMC surgery · 2025Review
- Health workforce issues and recommended practices in the implementation of Universal Health Coverage in the Philippines: a qualitative study.Human resources for health · 2025Article
- Indonesian medical interns' intention to practice in rural areas.Health policy and planning · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundImbalance in distribution of Health Care Workers (HCWs) in a country is a global challenge. Almost all of the rural and underdeveloped areas are struggling with the shortage of HCWs, especially physicians. Therefore, this study aimed to identify factors governing the retention of physicians in rural and underdeveloped areas.
methodsInternational databases including Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Proquest, and Embase were searched using Mesh terms in order to find peer-reviewed journal articles addressing physicians' retention factors in rural and underdeveloped areas. The records were screened, and any duplicate results were removed. The quality of the studies was assessed according to the Critical Appraisal Skills Program developed for different types of studies. Then, through content analysis, the related factors were identified from finally selected papers, coded, and categorized.
resultsThe initial search resulted in 2312 relevant articles. On the basis of specific selection criteria, 35 full-text articles were finally reviewed.. The major affecting factors in physicians' retention in rural and underdeveloped regions were classified into the following six categories: 1) financial; 2) career and professional; 3) working conditions; 4) personal; 5) cultural; and 6) living conditions factors.
conclusionThere is a complex interplay of factors governing physicians' retention in rural and underdeveloped areas. If health organizations are concerned with physicians' retention in deprived areas, they should take into account these main factors. Moreover, they should develop policies and strategies to attract and retain physicians in rural and underdeveloped areas.
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