Generalist physicians in nonmetropolitan countries in Ohio
P. T. Williams, M. Whitcomb and R. Harris
Department of Family Medicine, Ohio State University, Columbus.
OBJECTIVE: To identify by specialty (family practice, general internal
medicine, and general pediatrics) the number and ratios of generalist
physicians per 100,000 population in nonmetropolitan counties in Ohio and
to describe the trends in these data from 1975 through 1990. DESIGN: The
data were compiled on a country basis by physician census takers residing
in each county in Ohio. The US Office of Management and Budget's definition
of nonmetropolitan counties formed the basis of the calculations. RESULTS:
In nonmetropolitan counties of Ohio, generalist physician numbers and
ratios improved between 1975 and 1990 in general internal medicine (from
5.9 to 10.2 per 100,000 population) and general pediatrics (from 2.6 to 4.9
per 100,000 population) but not in family practice, which experienced a
decrease from 31.0 to 28.7 per 100,000 population. Eight counties with no
hospitals were unable to attract general internists or general
pediatricians. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate the
importance of characterizing generalist physician workforce data by
specialty and practice location on a state-wide basis and suggest that
increasing the supply of physicians does not greatly improve the geographic
distribution of the medical workforce. These findings should affect the
development of local, state, and federal physician workforce policies aimed
at addressing the problem of physician geographic maldistribution.
