[Determinants of Setting up a General Practice - a Qualitative Study].

Area of Science:

• General Practice
• Medical Education
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Declining motivation among new general practitioners to establish independent practices.
• Understanding factors influencing practice establishment is key to developing support strategies.
• This study aimed to explore determinants of general practice establishment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors motivating general practitioners to set up their own practices.
• To explore supportive and inhibiting factors in the practice establishment process.
• To inform strategies for supporting general practice establishment.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative interview study with self-employed general practitioners in Baden-Württemberg (2016).
• Stratified sampling based on rural, peripheral, and urban agglomeration areas.
• Content analysis of interview transcripts using Mayring's method, followed by consensus elaboration.

Main Results:

• Key motivations included improving daily clinical routines, reducing duty load, and achieving family-friendly hours.
• Supportive factors comprised family support, postgraduate training networks, and professional counseling.
• Inhibiting factors involved fear of recourse/indebtedness, complex accounting, and bureaucratic admission processes.

Conclusions:

• Enhance communication of practice advantages (e.g., family-friendliness) and alleviate financial concerns.
• Develop practice management training and streamline the practice establishment process.
• A standardized process with clear guidance and collegial support can facilitate practice establishment.