[Motivations of general practitioners (GPs) working in healthcare centres. Interview-based study]

Healthcare centres (CDS) are mono- or multidisciplinary ambulatory healthcare services staffed by salaried personnel, designed to facilitate access to affordable healthcare. New healthcare centres have been created over recent years in order to attract general practitioners (GP). In order for healthcare centres to constitute a solution to physician shortages, the motivations of doctors working in these centres must be defined in order to determine whether it is possible to extend this process. This study tried to determine the reasons why physicians choose this type of practice and their motivations.

A qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews was conducted with GPs working in health centres in the Brittany and Pays de la Loire regions. Thematic analysis was used to study the data obtained.

Twelve GPs were interviewed. The main incentives were salary and benefits, and good working conditions. Often informal professional exchanges were considered to be particularly important. Other motivations were also revealed during the interviews: physicians emphasized the service provided to the population, the accessibility of healthcare centres, and their feeling of being able to provide good quality of care.

The motivations of GPs working in healthcare centres can be classified as external and internal. In order to extend the healthcare centre model and recruit and retain physicians, administrators, in addition to providing good working conditions, should also develop public health actions, and improve their communication to raise awareness about these centres.