Segmenting a general practitioner market to improve recruitment outcomes

Area of Science:

• Health Services Management
• Marketing Strategy
• Medical Workforce Research

Background:

• General practitioner (GP) recruitment is a persistent challenge in healthcare, particularly in rural and Indigenous communities.
• Existing recruitment strategies often lack segmentation, potentially reducing effectiveness.
• Understanding GP decision-making factors is crucial for developing targeted recruitment approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To segment the general practitioner (GP) market based on recruitment decision attributes.
• To identify distinct cohorts of GPs based on their priorities when considering new practice opportunities.
• To propose tailored marketing and recruitment strategies for different GP segments.

Main Methods:

• A mail questionnaire survey was distributed to 350 general practitioners (GPs) in Australia, with 85 usable responses.
• Respondents ranked attribute importance in hypothetical job-selection scenarios.
• Latent class cluster analysis was employed to identify distinct GP segments (cohorts).

Main Results:

• Three distinct GP cohorts were identified: those prioritizing job attributes, family considerations, or practice-specific factors.
• Demographic differences between these cohorts were minimal.
• The findings indicate a segmented GP market, not a homogenous one.

Conclusions:

• General practices can enhance recruitment by developing targeted strategies for each identified GP cohort (job-, family-, or practice-focused).
• Alternatively, practices can diversify recruitment efforts to appeal to all three segments simultaneously.
• A segmented marketing approach, with tailored advertising for each cohort, can improve recruitment outcomes for general practices.