TY - JOUR
T1 - Commitments, Conditions and Corruption
T2 - An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Physician Recruitment and Retention Experiences in Indonesia
AU - Noya, Farah
AU - Carr, Sandra
AU - Thomson, Sandy
PY - 2022/5/1
Y1 - 2022/5/1
N2 - Complex factors influence physicians’ decisions to remain in rural and remote (RR) practice. Indonesia, particularly, has various degrees of poor governance contributing to physicians’ decisions to stay or leave RR practice. However, there is a paucity of literature exploring the phenomenon from the perspective of Indonesian RR physicians. This study explores physicians’ lived experiences working and living in Indonesian RR areas and the motivations that underpin their decisions to remain in the RR settings. An interpretative phenomenological analysis was utilised to explore the experiences of 26 consenting voluntary participants currently working in the RR areas of Maluku Province. A focus group discussion was undertaken with post-interns (n = 7), and semi-structured interviews were undertaken with junior (n = 9) and senior physicians (n = 10) working in district hospitals and RR health centres. Corruption was identified as an overarching theme that was referred to in all of the derived themes. Corruption adversely affected physicians’ lives, work and careers and influenced their motivation to remain working in Indonesia’s RR districts. Addressing the RR workforce shortage requires political action to reduce corruptive practice in the districts’ governance. Establishing a partnership with regional medical schools could assist in implementing evidence-based strategies to improve workforce recruitment, development, and retention of the RR medical workforce.
AB - Complex factors influence physicians’ decisions to remain in rural and remote (RR) practice. Indonesia, particularly, has various degrees of poor governance contributing to physicians’ decisions to stay or leave RR practice. However, there is a paucity of literature exploring the phenomenon from the perspective of Indonesian RR physicians. This study explores physicians’ lived experiences working and living in Indonesian RR areas and the motivations that underpin their decisions to remain in the RR settings. An interpretative phenomenological analysis was utilised to explore the experiences of 26 consenting voluntary participants currently working in the RR areas of Maluku Province. A focus group discussion was undertaken with post-interns (n = 7), and semi-structured interviews were undertaken with junior (n = 9) and senior physicians (n = 10) working in district hospitals and RR health centres. Corruption was identified as an overarching theme that was referred to in all of the derived themes. Corruption adversely affected physicians’ lives, work and careers and influenced their motivation to remain working in Indonesia’s RR districts. Addressing the RR workforce shortage requires political action to reduce corruptive practice in the districts’ governance. Establishing a partnership with regional medical schools could assist in implementing evidence-based strategies to improve workforce recruitment, development, and retention of the RR medical workforce.
KW - medical workforce shortage; phenomenology; rural and remote; recruitment and retention; unethical governance; work motivation and satisfaction
U2 - 10.3390/ijerph19095518
DO - 10.3390/ijerph19095518
M3 - Article
C2 - 35564913
VL - 19
JO - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
SN - 1660-4601
IS - 9
M1 - 5518
ER -