Temporal trends of physician geographical distribution and high and intermediate physician density areas and factors related to physicians' movement to low physician density areas in Japan: a longitudinal study (1996-2016).

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

A major issue in Japan's health policy is the geographical maldistribution of physicians. This study aimed to analyse temporal trends in the geographical distribution of physicians and analyse physicians in high and intermediate physician density areas and factors related to their movement to low physician density areas in Japan.

Design

A longitudinal study.

Setting

All physicians in 344 secondary medical districts.

Participants

I analysed data from the biennial national census, conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare between 1996 and 2016 and and divided it into two cohorts of 10 years each: 1996-2006 and 2006-2016.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

I estimated the temporal trends in the number and percentages of physicia

SUBMITTER: Ishikawa M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7682463 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature