Excessive workload, uncertain career opportunities and lack of funding are important barriers to recruiting and retaining primary care medical researchers: a qualitative interview study.
BACKGROUND
Research activity in primary care has been steadily increasing, but is still insufficient and more researchers are needed. Many initiatives have been launched to recruit and retain primary care researchers, but only little is known about barriers and facilitators to a research career in primary care.


OBJECTIVE
To examine barriers and facilitators to recruiting and retaining primary care medical researchers.


METHODS
Semi-structured interviews with 33 primary care medical researchers, all medical doctors. We used a phenomenological approach to analysing the interviews.


RESULTS
Important barriers to pursuing a research career in primary care were heavy workload, isolation at work, short-term funding and low salary. Important facilitators to attracting and retaining primary care researchers were the desire and opportunity to improve primary care, the flexible working conditions, the career opportunities, including the possibility of combining university-based research with clinical work and a friendly and competent research environment.


CONCLUSIONS
Better strategies for recruiting and retaining researchers are a prerequisite for the development of primary care, and in future the main emphasis should be on working conditions, networking and mentoring. Studies including those primary care physicians who have chosen not to do research are highly needed.
Thomsen
Janus Laust
JL
Institute of Public Health, Department of General Practice, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark. janus.laust.thomsen@alm.au.dk
Jarbøl
Dorthe
D
Søndergaard
Jens
J
D000328:Adult; D002321:Career Choice; D002322:Career Mobility; D003718:Denmark; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010560:Personnel Selection; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012108:Research Personnel / Q000600:supply & distribution; D012109:Research Support as Topic; D016526:Workload