Professional and social support networks of rural general practitioners

This study explored the nature of rural general practitioners' (GPs) professional and personal support networks. A qualitative design was employed, using in-depth interviews with a diverse sample of GPs in rural Queensland. The support network of the rural GPs in this study incorporated the domains of clinical, workforce and social support, with clinical support as the most important domain. There was a preference for face-to-face contact wherever possible. Such contact was particularly important in the process of developing the network and for personal support. Despite this, many network contacts were by telephone out of necessity. There were few notable differences between male and female rural GPs on the issues explored in the present study. General Practitioners' satisfaction with their professional interactions was varied across the sample. The findings suggest that level of satisfaction may be associated with intentions to leave or stay for this group.