Determining Factors Influencing Specialty Preferences of Iranian Medical Doctors: A Qualitative Study.
Career choice
Education
Graduate
Iran
Medical
Physicians
Journal
Iranian journal of medical sciences
ISSN: 1735-3688
Titre abrégé: Iran J Med Sci
Pays: Iran
ID NLM: 8104374
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
07 2022
07 2022
Historique:
received:
31
01
2021
revised:
21
04
2021
accepted:
08
07
2021
entrez:
3
8
2022
pubmed:
4
8
2022
medline:
5
8
2022
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
The medical specialty choice of physicians directly affects the healthcare system, community wellbeing, and their own professional life. It is therefore important to identify its underlying factors to predict such medical career choices and to draw up a comprehensive evidence-based public health policy and health human resources planning. The present qualitative study aimed to identify these determinants of career choices through semi-structured interviews with medical doctors in the context of country-specific social and cultural characteristics. The present qualitative study was carried out in 2019-2020 at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (Shiraz, Iran). The target population was medical students, junior doctors, and medical residents. The purposive sampling method was used to recruit the participants and sampling continued until data saturation, i.e., no new information could be extracted. Data were collected through individual, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the conventional content analysis method. Inductive thematic analysis was used to interpret the data based on which a thematic map was developed illustrating the factors influencing medical specialty preferences in Iran. Data trustworthiness was assessed according to the criteria proposed by Guba and Lincoln. Analysis of the interview data resulted in three main themes and fourteen sub-themes. The main themes were "Personal determinants", "Career-related factors", and "Interpersonal influences". The most important sub-themes were personal interests, income, and prestige. The determinants influencing the specialty preferences of Iranian medical doctors are identified. Our findings will facilitate the development of a comprehensive evidence-based public health policy, health human resources planning, and appropriate medical education policy.
Sections du résumé
Background
The medical specialty choice of physicians directly affects the healthcare system, community wellbeing, and their own professional life. It is therefore important to identify its underlying factors to predict such medical career choices and to draw up a comprehensive evidence-based public health policy and health human resources planning. The present qualitative study aimed to identify these determinants of career choices through semi-structured interviews with medical doctors in the context of country-specific social and cultural characteristics.
Methods
The present qualitative study was carried out in 2019-2020 at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (Shiraz, Iran). The target population was medical students, junior doctors, and medical residents. The purposive sampling method was used to recruit the participants and sampling continued until data saturation, i.e., no new information could be extracted. Data were collected through individual, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the conventional content analysis method. Inductive thematic analysis was used to interpret the data based on which a thematic map was developed illustrating the factors influencing medical specialty preferences in Iran. Data trustworthiness was assessed according to the criteria proposed by Guba and Lincoln.
Results
Analysis of the interview data resulted in three main themes and fourteen sub-themes. The main themes were "Personal determinants", "Career-related factors", and "Interpersonal influences". The most important sub-themes were personal interests, income, and prestige.
Conclusion
The determinants influencing the specialty preferences of Iranian medical doctors are identified. Our findings will facilitate the development of a comprehensive evidence-based public health policy, health human resources planning, and appropriate medical education policy.
Identifiants
pubmed: 35919085
doi: 10.30476/ijms.2021.89938.2071
pii: IJMS-47-4
pmc: PMC9339108
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
350-359Informations de copyright
Copyright: © Iranian Journal of Medical Sciences.
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