Summary of findings for rural surgery recruitment and retention
| Publication | Country | Context | Primary findings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ahmed et al., 2012 (27) | Canada | Survey of Canadian general surgeons assessing career satisfaction | Rural surgeons cited on-call burden and volume of patients as causes for career dissatisfaction |
| Bruening and Maddern, 1998 (24) | Australia | Survey of rural Australian surgeons | 137 surveys completed 85 reported dissatisfaction with the amount of time on call, 74 reported peer isolation, and 62 stated that they had challenges with their children’s schooling |
| Gates et al., 2003 (41) | United States | Survey of West Virginia surgeons | 88 surveys completed 23% of rural surgeons would leave medicine; 32% stated that rurality had an adverse effect on their practice |
| Heneghan et al., 2005 (47) | United States | Assessment of practice and motivations of rural surgeons compared with urban surgeons | Rural surgeons were more likely to experience professional isolation, felt a lack of local surgical and medical support, were less likely to report adequate vacation coverage, had an unacceptable call schedule, and had difficulty recruiting colleagues |
| Ricketts, 2010 (95) | United States | Assessment of the migration of rural general surgeons | General surgeons who moved over the course of the study period were more likely to move to areas with more physicians and improved economics |
| Shively and Shively, 2005 (58) | United States | Assessment of threats to rural surgery at a single Kentucky hospital | Rural surgeons report difficulty in finding employment for their spouse and professional isolation as barriers to pursuing a career in rural surgery |