Attracting doctors to rural areas under the state program: performance indices

Introduction.The implementation of the state program “Zemsky Doctor” is one of the effective mechanisms to attract medical personnel to medical institutions located in rural areas.

The purpose of the study. To analyze the indices for attracting doctors to medical institutionsss located in rural areas of the Russian Federation during Federal Research Institute for Health Organization and Informatics the period from 2015 to 2022 within the framework of the state program “Zemsky Doctor”.

Materials and methods. The study used statistical data on eighty two subjects of the Russian Federation based on operational documented inquiries for the period from 2015 to 2022. Analytical and statistical methods were used in the research process. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis was conducted using the Statistica package version 13.3.

Results. During the study period, more than 33,000 physicians of various specialties were attracted and employed in rural areas. The index of the number of doctors attracted to rural areas under the program from 2015 to 2022 increased by 32.2%, from 0.9 to 1.19 per 10,000 rural population. When analyzing this index by regions of the Russian Federation, significant differences were revealed.

Research limitations. The research materials are limited by the results of the analysis of quantitative data obtained as a result of an operational request to the subjects of the Russian Federation and statistical data of the forms of federal statistical observation.

Conclusion. The study revealed the regions with the lowest level of the indice of physician supply also to have a low index of the number of doctors recruited under the program. The results of correlation analysis showed that in most of the Russian regions there is a direct dependence of the index of physician supply on the results of the implementation of the program “Zemsky Doctor”. The results of the program implementation have a significant impact on the staffing of medical organizations located in rural areas.

Compliance with ethical standards. This study does not require a conclusion from the Local Ethics Committee.

Contribution of the authors:
Latyshova A.A. — layout, design, concept, writing, statistical processing of data;
Khodakova O.V. — design, editing.|
All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of its final version.

Acknowledgment. The study was performed without outside financial support.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no apparent and potential conflicts of interest in connection with the publication of this article.

Received: February 13, 2024 / Accepted: May 30, 2024 / Published: August 29, 2024