title: [Factors influencing the decision of future psychiatrists to practice establishment. Results from a survey of young physicians in Germany].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Office based psychiatrists are playing a decisive role regarding the provision and coordination of community based, continuous mental health care. Although the estimated need for office based psychiatrists and neurologists is covered to 125 % in Germany, a physician shortage is emerging in some regions. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate factors influencing the decision of future psychiatrists to a practice establishment.
  
  
  METHODS
  14,939 young physicians aged under 40 without completed specialist medical training were contacted by mail using databases of five state chambers of physicians (Lower Saxony, Westfalen-Lippe, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania). The physicians were asked to answer questions regarding socio-demographic characteristics, the aspired medical speciality, their purpose to establish a practice, and an 18-items questionniare regarding important aspects for the latter decision. As revealed in a former study, the 18 items are related to six factors for practice establishment. The answers of 5,053 respondents were eligible for data analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  4.3 % of the examined physicians aspired a medical specialist training in psychiatry, 44 % of them plan to establish a practice. Future psychiatrists as well as other physicians valued the surrounding conditions for family as most important factor regarding a practice establishment, followed by professional duties (e. g. on-call duty) and financial conditions. The quality of life in the surrounding area had least importance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results point on measures which could be suited making a practice establishment for young physicians attractive.
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Institut für Medizinische Soziologie, Sozialmedizin und Gesundheitsökonomie. christiane.roick@medizin.unileipzig.de
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Roick
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Heider
authors.forename: Oliver H
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Günther
authors.forename: Steffi G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Riedel-Heller
authors.forename: Hans-Helmut
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: König
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002321:Career Choice; D003625:Data Collection; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D005858:Germany; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000639:trends*; D011331:Private Practice / Q000639:trends*; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000193:education*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D000078329:Workforce