ArticlePloS one2022
A qualitative inquiry of rural-urban inequalities in the distribution and retention of healthcare workers in southern Nigeria.
Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
31 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 55 citations in OpenAlex.
- The race to retain nursing workforce in healthcare: an umbrella review of effectiveness of retention interventions and strategies.BMC health services research · 2025Pooled it
- The viral load monitoring cascade in HIV treatment programmes in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- Urban-rural disparities in primary health care utilization in Indonesia: a cross-sectional study.Korean journal of family medicine · 2026Article
- Human resources management for communicable diseases in Afghanistan.Human resources for health · 2026Article
- Global perspectives on graduate employability in healthcare services management: insights from Iran.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Cultivating a rural nursing workforce: the impact of rural vs. urban education on nursing students' intentions for rural practice in Nepal.BMC nursing · 2026Article
- Distinct infant resistome trajectories shaped by country income and geography revealed through global metagenomics reanalysis.npj antimicrobials and resistance · 2026Article
- Factors Influencing Primary Healthcare System in the Achievement of Universal Health Coverage in the WHO-AFRO Region: An Integrative Review.Public health challenges · 2025Review
- Rural-urban differentials in women empowerment and experience of under-five mortality among mothers in Nigeria: a Multiple Indicator Survey analysis.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Article
- Retaining nurses in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis.International journal of nursing sciences · 2025Review
- Beyond averages: dissecting urban-rural disparities in skilled antenatal care utilization in Bangladesh - a conway-maxwell-poisson regression analysis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Review
- Article
- Evolution and determinants of antenatal care services utilization among women of reproductive age in Rwanda: a scoping review.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Puerto Rican physician's recommendations to mitigate medical migration from Puerto Rico to the mainland United States.Health policy OPEN · 2024Article
- Factors to Effective Clinical Experience, Willingness to pursue Career in Rural Health Facilities among Nursing Students on Clinical Placement in Southeast Nigeria and Rural Development.Investigacion y educacion en enfermeria · 2024Article
- Brain drain in South Africa is affecting health care.South African family practice : official journal of the South African Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care · 2024Article
- Urban-rural differences in seasonal malaria chemoprevention coverage and characteristics of target populations in nine states of Nigeria: a comparative cross-sectional study.Malaria journal · 2024Article
- Strategies adopted by oral physicians, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, and oral pathologists in patient education on oral cancer: A Nigerian study.Cancer reports (Hoboken, N.J.) · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
introductionGlobally, the population in rural communities are disproportionately cared for by only 25% and 38% of the total physicians and nursing staff, respectively; hence, the poor health outcomes in these communities. This condition is worse in Nigeria by the critical shortage of skilled healthcare workforce. This study aimed to explore factors responsible for the uneven distribution of healthcare workers (physicians and nurses) to rural areas of Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
methodsQualitative data were obtained using semi-structured in-depth interviews and focus group discussions from purposively selected physicians, nurses, and policymakers in the state. Data was analysed for themes related to factors influencing the mal-distribution of healthcare workers (physicians and nurses) to rural areas. The qualitative analysis involved the use of both inductive and deductive reasoning in an iterative manner.
resultsThis study showed that there were diverse reasons for the uneven distribution of skilled healthcare workers in Ebonyi State. This was broadly classified into three themes; socio-cultural, healthcare system, and personal healthcare workers' intrinsic factors. The socio-cultural factors include symbolic capital and stigma while healthcare system and governance issues include poor human resources for health policy and planning, work resources and environment, decentralization, salary differences, skewed distribution of tertiary health facilities to urban area and political interference. The intrinsic healthcare workers' factors include career progression and prospect, negative effect on family life, personal characteristics and background, isolation, personal perceptions and beliefs.
conclusionsThere may be a need to implement both non-financial and financial actions to encourage more urban to rural migration of healthcare workers (physicians and nurses) and to provide incentives for the retention of rural-based health workers.
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