Med Student Medical News about healthcare professionals; rural and remote areas

Your Article Summary

(Click the title below to leave the MDLinx Network and go to the Journal's Website)

A critical review of interventions to redress the inequitable distribution of healthcare professionals to rural and remote areas
Rural and Remote Health, 06/16/09

Wilson NW et al. - In order to provide a comprehensive overview in a clear and user-friendly fashion, the available evidence was classified into five intervention categories: Selection, Education, Coercion, Incentives and Support - and the strength of the available evidence was rated as convincing, strong, moderate, weak or absent. The main definitions used to define rural and/or remote in the articles reviewed are summarized, before the evidence in support of each of the five intervention categories is reflected in detail. The authors argue for the formulation of universal definitions to assist study comparison and future collaborative research. Although coercive strategies address short-term recruitment needs, little evidence supports their long-term positive impact. Current evidence only supports the implementation of well-defined selection and education policies, although incentive and support schemes may have value. There remains an urgent need to evaluate the impact of untested interventions in a scientifically rigorous fashion in order to identify winning strategies for guiding future practice and policy.