Managing a Chronic Problem: The Rural Physician Shortage
Authors: Donald L. Madison
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1980)

Editorials1 June 1980Managing a Chronic Problem: The Rural Physician ShortageDONALD L. MADISON, M.D.DONALD L. MADISON, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-92-6-852 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptRural areas, we all know, receive the short end when physicians distribute themselves. This inequity is most severe in the Third World where the population is predominantly rural and poor, but it is seen in virtually every nation (1). In the United States, once but no longer a rural society, the doctor shortage began to become apparent shortly after World War I. A 1925 article in theJournal of the American Medical Association, reviewing the evidence then available, concluded that a national problem existed and that it could become more serious (2). In the following 15 years the supply of...References1. . The urban and rural distribution of medical manpower. WHO Chron. 1968;22:100-5. MedlineGoogle Scholar2. PUSEY W. Medical education and medical service: I. The situation. JAMA. 1925;84:281-5. CrossrefGoogle Scholar3. MOUNTAIN J. Location and movement of physicians. Public Health Rep. 1943;58:483-90. Google Scholar4. MOTTROEMER FM. Rural Health and Medical Care. New York: McGraw-Hill; 1948. Google Scholar5. . Rurality, Poverty, and Health: Medical Problems in Rural Areas. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office; 1970. (Agriculture Economic Report 172). Google Scholar6. KAUFMAN M. American Medical Education—The Formative Years, 1765-1910. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press; 1976. Google Scholar7. MADISON D. Recruiting physicians for rural practice. Health Serv. Rep. 1973;88:758-62. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. HASSINGERGILLHOBBSHAGEMAN ELDR. A Restudy of Physicians in Twenty Rural Missouri Counties. Hyattsville, Maryland: Health Resources Administration; 1979. Google Scholar9. . Report on Survey of 1978 Graduating Family Practice Residents. Kansas City: American Academy of Family Physicians; 1978. Google Scholar10. STEWART W. Impact of family practice residency programs on geographic maldistribution of physicians. J Fam Pract. 1979;8:461-2. Google Scholar11. CHISHOLM M. Rural Settlement and Land Use. London: Hutchinson University Library; 1968. Google Scholar12. PARKER R. Social, economic and demographic factors affecting physician population in upstate New York. NY State J Med. 1969;59:706-12. Google Scholar13. HASSINGERHUHASTINGSMCNAMARA EBDR. Changes in number and location of health practitioners in a 20-county rural area of Missouri. Public Health Rep. 1975;90:313-8. MedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: DONALD L. MADISON, M.D.Affiliations: Department of Social and Administrative Medicine University of North Carolina School of Medicine Chapel Hill, North Carolina PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byFactors Associated with the Income Distribution of Full-Time Physicians: A Quantile Regression ApproachCompulsory medical service in Ecuador: the physician's perspectiveDer Einfluß der informalen Organisation in den Phasen des Mitarbeiter-LebenszyklusKey factors in physicians' choice of practice location: findings from a survey of practitioners and their spousesThe impact of professional and personal satisfaction on perceptions of rural and urban: Some analytic evidenceConclusionAllocating medical resources in rural America: Alternative perceptions of justiceEvaluation of a Selective Medical School Admissions Policy to Increase the Number of Family Physicians in Rural and Underserved AreasJustice and the justification of a social policy: The distribution of primary care physiciansLocation patterns of recent physician settlers in rural AmericaRestructuring an internal medicine residency program to meet regional and national needs for general internists 1 June 1980Volume 92, Issue 6Page: 852-854KeywordsRural areas ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 June 1980 PDF downloadLoading ...