A modified framework for rural general practice: the importance of recruitment and retention

Whilst definitions of what constitutes general practice vary according to purpose, the pivotal role of general practitioners as key providers of health and medical services is acknowledged. Recent concerns to address both what general practitioners and their patients want and get from general practice stem from a recognized need to include stakeholder concerns about the adequacy of general practice alongside workforce issues such as recruitment and retention. Nowhere is this need so crucial as in rural areas where the range of health services is limited and major inequities exist in the availability of general practitioners. An extended framework for evaluating what general practitioners and their patients expect and receive from general practice, with particular reference to rural general practice in Australia is presented. Three inter-related dimensions of recruitment, retention and a whole patient/whole family approach to health care are suggested as underpinning this framework. The significance of each dimension to ensuring the provision of quality general practice care in rural communities, and the links between them, are outlined in the proposed framework.