Rural health

As a country doctor is colloquially a family physician - usually a specialist in general medicine or family physicians active Internist - called, who works in a rural area.

Specifics

From the activity in rural areas arise for work as a country doctor, certain specifics, caused by partial large distances between doctor and patient, between GP and specialists, or hospitals as well as by a different demographic structure, in particular in relation to the often high average age of the patients. Thus, the country doctor accepts often medical activities that are included in more urban regions of specialists. In addition, he is even more than in densely populated regions first point of contact in case of emergency. Regular home visits have a greater importance than in urban primary care practices.

Situation in Germany

The presence of a sufficient medical care in rural areas is also of fundamental importance and the existence of medical practices is among other criteria, an important location factor and essential characteristic of a central location.

In Germany, for several years, an increasing rural doctor shortage, first in East Germany, but now also in other German regions. The reasons for this unattractive working and living conditions in rural areas are often called as compared to metropolitan areas, whilst the aging of current land medical profession for young doctors. The entrepreneurial risk of economic independence frightens many young doctors on a branch, as well as a poor compatibility of autonomy and family planning and the threat of recourse payments at above average prescription of remedies. Would be strengthened by this uncertainty in recent years also frequent health policy reforms and the resulting lack of stability and predictability of conditions for economic independence.

The country physician shortage trying in different regions through mechanisms such as scholarships to meet financial incentives, approaches such as the Rothenburg model or networking practices. Similarly, a delegation of activities to medical assistant is discussed. To this end, in Lower Saxony or Verah There are different approaches as the model Moni ( care assistant in general practice ).

Under an agreement of physicians and health representatives (as of December 2012), 3,000 new positions for family physicians in rural Regionenen be created. But 1,800 jobs are to be painted in as over- powered cities. In addition, facilities should make the settlement in rural areas more attractive, such as the elimination of the residence requirement or the elimination of claims for compensation in case of excessive drug regulation. In some regions, especially in East Germany, the country medical care in the context of so-called Landambulatorien was common. These were to polyclinics with salaried physicians, similar to medical care centers, the gain in recent years important again.

Situation in other countries

In Australia, has been established for sparsely populated regions of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia. In Sweden, county councils entertained in the north of the country practices with small wards ( Sjukstuga ). Likewise, there are in some countries additional training to " Medicine in sparsely populated regions " ( Rural Medicine) or plans for this.