title: Reasons why specialist doctors undertake rural outreach services: an Australian cross-sectional study.
abstract: The purpose of the study is to explore the reasons why specialist doctors travel to provide regular rural outreach services, and whether reasons relate to (1) salaried or private fee-for-service practice and (2) providing rural outreach services in more remote locations.
  
  
  
  A national cross-sectional study of specialist doctors from the Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life (MABEL) survey in 2014 was implemented. Specialists providing rural outreach services self-reported on a 5-point scale their level of agreement with five reasons for participating. Chi-squared analysis tested association between agreement and variables of interest.
  
  
  
  Of 567 specialists undertaking rural outreach services, reasons for participating include to grow the practice (54%), maintain a regional connection (26%), provide complex healthcare (18%), healthcare for disadvantaged people (12%) and support rural staff (6%). Salaried specialists more commonly participated to grow the practice compared with specialists in fee-for-service practice (68 vs 49%). This reason was also related to travelling further and providing outreach services in outer regional/remote locations. Private fee-for-service specialists more commonly undertook outreach services to provide complex healthcare (22 vs 14%).
  
  
  
  Specialist doctors undertake rural outreach services for a range of reasons, mainly to complement the growth and diversity of their main practice or maintain a regional connection. Structuring rural outreach around the specialist's main practice is likely to support participation and improve service distribution.
authors.affiliation: Monash Rural Health, Office of Research, Level 3, 26 Mercy St, PO Box 666, Bendigo, Victoria, 3550, Australia. belinda.osullivan@monash.edu.
authors.forename: Belinda G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
authors.affiliation: Monash Rural Health, Northways Road, Churchill, Victoria, 3842, Australia.
authors.forename: Matthew R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: McGrail
authors.affiliation: Division of Health Services and Global Health Research, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia.
authors.forename: Johannes U
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Stoelwinder
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001315:Australia; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018588:Fee-for-Service Plans; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D010820:Physicians; D019035:Rural Health Services; D012424:Rural Population; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits; D013038:Specialization; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Outreach; Reasons; Rural; Services; Specialist doctor