Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2007 Jul 13:7:111.
doi: 10.1186/1472-6963-7-111.

Gender shift in realisation of preferred type of GP practice: longitudinal survey over the last 25 years

Tanja Maiorova  1 , Fred Stevens, Lud van der Velden, Albert Scherpbier, Jouke van der Zee
Affiliations

Gender shift in realisation of preferred type of GP practice: longitudinal survey over the last 25 years

Tanja Maiorova et al. BMC Health Serv Res. .

Abstract

Background: An increasing number of newly trained Dutch GPs prefer to work in a group practice and as a non-principal rather than in a single-handed practice. In view of the greater number of female doctors, changing practice preferences, and discussions on future workforce problems, the question is whether male and female GPs were able to realise their initial preferences in the past and will be able to do so in the future.

Methods: We have conducted longitudinal cohort study of all GPs in the Netherlands seeking a practice between 1980 and 2004. The Netherlands Institute of Health Services Research (NIVEL) in Utrecht collected the data used in this study by means of a postal questionnaire. The overall mean response rate was 94%.

Results: Over the past 20 years, an increasing proportion of GPs, both male and female, were able to achieve their preference for working in a group practice and/or in a non-principal position. Relatively more women than men have settled in group practices, and more men than women in single-handed practices; however, the practice preference of men and women is beginning to converge. Dropout was highest among the GPs without any specific practice preference.

Conclusion: The overwhelming preference of male and female GPs for working in group practices is apparently being met by the number of positions (principal or non-principal) available in group practices. The preference of male and female GPs regarding the type of practice and job conditions is expected to converge further in the near future.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Practice type preference by Dutch GPs
Figure 2
Figure 2
Realised practice type, for Dutch GPs preferring a position as a principal.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Realised practice type, for Dutch GPs preferring a position as a principle in a single-handed practice.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Realised practice type, for Dutch GPs preferring a position as a principal in a group practice.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Realised practice type, for Dutch GPs preferring a position as a principal without preference for the practice type.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Realised practice type, for Dutch GPs seeking a position as a non-principal.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. van den Hombergh P, Engels Y, van den Hoogen H, van Doremalen J, van den Bosch W, Grol R. Saying 'goodbye' to single-handed practices; what do patients and staff lose or gain? Family practice. 2005;22:20 –207. doi: 10.1093/fampra/cmh714. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Young R, Leese B. Recruitment and retention of general practitioners in the UK: what are the problems and solutions? British Journal of General Practice. 1999;49:829–833. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brooks F. Women in general practice: responding to the sexual division of labour? Social Science&Medicine. 1998;47:181–193. doi: 10.1016/S0277-9536(98)00058-6. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Denekens JP. The impact of feminisation on general practice. Acta Clinica Belgica. 2002;57:5–10. - PubMed
    1. Lawrence J, Poole P, Diener S. Critical factors in career decision making for women medical graduates. Medical Education. 2003;37:319–327. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2923.2003.01476.x. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources