Journal of health research in community

Mendeley  

Zotero  

Kabir M J, Heidari A, Mashhadi M H, Khatirnamani Z, Pourabbasi M. Factors Affecting the Durability of Physicians in the Rural Family Physician Program at Golestan University of Medical Sciences in 2023. J Health Res Commun 2026; 11 (4) :160-171
URL: http://jhc.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-1171-en.html

Introduction and Purpose: Family physicians are the cornerstone of the healthcare team and play an important role in the success of the family physician program. Although the main goal of the program is a permanent connection with the covered community, the low durability of family physicians in rural areas is inconsistent with this goal. This study aimed to identify factors influencing the durability of rural family physicians affiliated with Golestan University of Medical Sciences in 2023.
Methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was carried out in rural comprehensive health service centers affiliated with Golestan University of Medical Sciences during 2023. A total of 139 rural family physicians participated through census sampling. After receiving ethical approval, data were collected via a teacher-made questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics, as well as Spearman’s correlation coefficient, Mann–Whitney test, and Kruskal–Wallis test in SPSS software, version 24, with the significance level set at 0.05. 
Results:  The mean age of participants was 35.78±10.63 years; 60.4% were women, and the remainder were men. The highest mean scores corresponded to the environmental dimension (3.49±0.79), followed by the individual (2.97±0.57) and organizational dimensions (2.79±1.06). The top-rated items included “physician satisfaction with communication and cooperation with other staff at the comprehensive health service center,” “interest in conducting medical visits,” and “serving disadvantaged populations as a major professional priority.” Significant relationships were found between physician gender and the organizational dimension (P=0.036), marital status and the individual dimension (P=0.006), and availability of 24‑hour accommodation and the environmental dimension (P=0.026). 
Conclusion: Given the stronger influence of environmental factors on the durability of family physicians, health policymakers should emphasize enhancing the physical infrastructure of health centers, fostering teamwork, and revising job descriptions. These actions may substantially reduce physician attrition and increase their durability within the program.