Retention among full-time occupational physicians in Japan

Area of Science:

• Occupational Medicine
• Health Workforce Research
• Physician Retention Studies

Background:

• Securing human resources in occupational medicine requires understanding physician retention.
• Limited data exists on occupational physician retention trends and influencing factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze occupational physician retention trends in Japan.
• To identify factors associated with occupational physician retention.
• To discuss policy implications for human resource management in occupational medicine.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of Japanese national physician census data (2002-2014).
• Identification of full-time occupational physicians based on survey responses.
• Calculation of annual retention rates and logistic regression for factor analysis.

Main Results:

• The annual retention rate for full-time occupational physicians was 76% (2012-2014), a 6% increase over the study period.
• Occupational physicians practicing in urban settings demonstrated higher retention odds compared to those in rural areas.

Conclusions:

• Improving transitions between clinical practice and occupational medicine can bolster the occupational physician workforce.
• Addressing factors influencing retention, particularly geographic, is crucial for sustainable human resource planning in occupational medicine.