A research group led by Associate Professor Atsushi Kaneko of Yokohama City University investigated the degree of ``remote areas'' and the range of medical care provided there, and found that doctors who work in areas with a higher degree of ``remoteness'' have a greater range of medical care. It was found that there was a widespread trend.
Studies in other countries have shown that factors that influence the breadth of medical care a family doctor provides include personal factors such as gender and years of experience, and environmental factors such as the balance with other medical institutions in the area and the demographic composition of the residents. It has been reported that ``medical treatment in remote areas'' is the most relevant.On the other hand, in Japan, there have been no studies to date that have investigated the relationship between the degree of ``remote area'' and the breadth of medical treatment.
In this study, we conducted a cross-sectional survey using a web questionnaire regarding the breadth of medical care among physician members of the Japan Federation of Primary Care Associations, who serve as family physicians throughout Japan. As previous research had not determined the definition or scale of ``remote areas'', this survey used the Rurality Index for Japan (RIJ) developed by Associate Professor Kaneko and colleagues to measure the degree of ``remoteness'' of medical institutions. Regarding breadth of practice, we used two scales: the Scope of Practice Inventory (SPI) and the Scope of Practice for Primary Care (SP4PC), and asked physicians to respond regarding their own practice.
As a result of obtaining questionnaire responses from 299 people and verifying the relationship between the degree of "remoteness" and the breadth of practice, the results showed that whether measured by SPI or SP4PC, doctors practicing in areas with a high degree of "remoteness" It was found that patients tend to have a broader range of medical treatment.
We also compared the medical care provided by over 1% of doctors in the most urban areas (with a "remoteness" rating of 10-91) and in the most "remote" areas (with a "remoteness" rating of 100-80). However, it has become clear that doctors working in ``remote areas'' are involved in a wider range of medical care, including hospitalization management and emergency response.
This research showed that there is a strong relationship between the degree of ``remote area'' and the breadth of medical care, and by clarifying the breadth of medical treatment for each degree of ``remote area'', we were able to understand the abilities of doctors required to be assigned to a ``remote area''. It is thought that this will contribute to
Paper information:[BMC Primary Care] Primary care physicians working in rural areas provide a broader scope of practice: a cross sectional study
