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. 2022 Jul;44(7):1077-1093.
doi: 10.1111/1467-9566.13480. Epub 2022 May 18.

Who cares where the doctors are? The expectation of mobility and its effect on health outcomes

Liz Brewster  1 , Michael Lambert  2 , Cliff Shelton  1
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Who cares where the doctors are? The expectation of mobility and its effect on health outcomes

Liz Brewster et al. Sociol Health Illn. 2022 Jul.

Abstract

Doctors are typically portrayed as active agents in their work lives. However, this paper argues that this construction of agency ignores the effects of the healthcare structures that constrain choice, which in turn affects population health outcomes. Medical training pathways, regional boundaries, and rationalisation all have a long-lasting impact on the provision of healthcare. Using a mobilities lens to examine the movement of doctors, this paper examines how the expectation of movement built into training programmes perpetuates unequal access to healthcare. Long waiting times, poor care quality and lack of preventative care all perpetuate health inequalities; as one of the socio-economic determinants, access to healthcare affects health outcomes.

Keywords: health inequalities; medical careers; mobilities; workforce planning.

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