Gender Perceptions and Barriers Towards Their Practice in Underserved Areas Among Medical Students: A Multicentre Study

Abstract

Objective: Objectives of the present study were to understand and explore the perceptions of
medical students towards their intention to practice in underserved areas and to identify the
barriers restricting them to take up rural service.
Material and Methods: I2738 medical undergraduate students from five different medical
institutions were requested to fill questionnaires during May 2012 to April 2013. SPSS version 17
was used for analysis. Unpaired t test and Chi-square (χ²) test was applied.
Results: Majority 1719 (64.6%) were not willing to practice in rural area. Rural-background
students were more likely to indicate willingness for rural practice. (p<0.001). 'Easy/stress free
life' and 'Being respected as a doctor' were gender wise statistically highly significant potential
benefits of working in a rural area. Connectivity problems, absenteeism of support staff, available
living facilities, distant hometown, social life, low recognition of work, prestige of the job, sense of
fulfilment, lack of good physical work environment, security problems and lack of recreational
facilities were found to be statistically highly significant (p<0.001). Seventy seven percent of
males and almost seventy five percent of females identified “low salary” as an underlying factor.
Conclusion: In spite of having positive view towards the importance of rural health care, certain
aforementioned barriers prevent them to serve in rural areas. The findings can be utilised to
design or modify the specific strategies to tackle the crisis of doctors in rural India