title: A Qualitative Inquiry Into the Challenges of Medical Education for Retention of General Practitioners in Rural and Underserved Areas of Iran.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  General practitioners (GPs) retention in rural and underserved areas highly effects on accessibility of healthcare facilities across the country. Education seems to be a critical factor that affects GPs retention. Thus, the present study aimed at inquiry into medical education challenges that limit their retention in rural and underserved areas.
  
  
  METHODS
  A qualitative approach was applied for the aim of this study. Data were gathered via 28 semi-structured interviews with experts at different levels of Iran's health system as well as GPs who retained and refused to retain working in rural settings. Interviews mainly were performed face-to-face and in some cases via telephone during 2015 and then coded and analyzed using content analysis approach.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Iran's medical education is faced with several challenges that were categorized in four main themes including student selection, medical students' perception about their field of study, education setting and approach, curriculum of medical education. According to experts this challenges could results in making GP graduates disinterested for practicing in rural and underserved areas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Challenges that were found could have negative effects on retention. Modification in student's perception about rural practice could be done via changing education setting and approach and curriculum. These modifications could improve GPs retention in rural and underserved areas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Sajad
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5539-9026
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Delavari
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5637-287X
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arab
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Arash
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4005-5183
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rashidian
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Knowledge Utilization Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Saharnaz
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0966-727X
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nedjat
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Policy, Faculty of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Rahmatollah Gholipour
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9081-1576
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Souteh
mesh_terms: D004501:Education, Medical; D058005:General Practitioners / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007492:Iran; D036301:Qualitative Research; D019035:Rural Health Services
keywords: General practitioners; Medical education; Rural health