Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39953532›Full record

ArticleBMC health services research2025

Job incentives influencing health professionals working in rural and remote areas in Thailand: finding from discrete choice experiment to policy recommendation.

Pudtan Phanthunane, Atipan Suwatmakin, Natthawudh Konglumpun, Supasit Pannarunothai

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC health services research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Global Perspectives in Plastic Surgery: View of Plastic Surgeons From Vietnam.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Pudtan PhanthunaneDepartment of Economics, Faculty of Business, Economics and Communications, Naresuan University, 99 Moo 9, Tha-Pho, Muang, Phitsanulok, 65000, Thailand.
Atipan SuwatmakinCentre for Health Equity Monitoring Foundation, Muang, Phitsanulok, 65000, Thailand.
Natthawudh KonglumpunDepartment of Economics, Faculty of Business, Economics and Communications, Naresuan University, 99 Moo 9, Tha-Pho, Muang, Phitsanulok, 65000, Thailand. natthawudhk@nu.ac.th.
Supasit PannarunothaiCentre for Health Equity Monitoring Foundation, Muang, Phitsanulok, 65000, Thailand.

Funding

the Health Systems Research Institute (HSRI) 62-011
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThis research aims to understand job incentives of health professionals who work in rural and remote areas, which could lead to the further development of policy proposals.

methodsThe study design has been applied discrete choice experiment (DCE) to determine attribute preferences of: 1) doctors, dentists, and pharmacists, and 2) nurses and interdisciplinary teams. Four areas in northern Thailand were purposively selected. To determine the attributes and levels, a qualitative method was employed. An orthogonal array was adopted to produce 16 options for categorizing the employment preferences of each person. Conditional and mixed logit regressions were used to examine the major incentives influencing health workforce decision-making. In addition, willingness to pay (WTP) analysis according to beta coefficients from the regression models was performed.

resultsThe total number of participants in the first group was 34, and the latter group included 160 participants. Financial incentives, suitable accommodation, workload and job post in hometown were all significant criteria for both groups. Surprisingly, opportunity to continue study was not a significant consideration for doctors, dentists, or pharmacists to work in remote areas. When getting a 40% higher income than counterparts working in public hospitals in urban regions, the decision-making level among doctors, dentists and pharmacists influenced decisions by 4.2 times, while nurses and interdisciplinary teams were influenced twice as much. Regarding the WTP analysis, doctors, pharmacists, and dentists were willing to receive 8,126 (95% CI: 3,477; 15,442) Baht per month, and nurses and interdisciplinary teams were willing to receive 7,733 (95% CI: 4,926; 11,502) Baht per month to work more than 48 h per week. The results of mixed and conditional logit models were found consistently.

conclusionFinancial subsidies for all types of healthcare workers in rural and remote areas remain effective policies and need to be maintained. It is not merely a matter of national policy; hospital-level policies can change and contribute to resolving the problem of health personnel shortages. The short-term plan for retaining health staff would be to provide suitable, safe, and satisfying accommodations.

Indexed as

Choice BehaviorHealth PersonnelMotivationRural Health ServicesAdultAttitude of Health PersonnelFemaleHealth PolicyHumansMaleMiddle AgedThailandDiscrete choice experimentHealth workforceIncentiveQuality of livingRemote areas

Identifiers

PMID39953532
PMCPMC11829364

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.