Rural Health Workforce Research

RhPAP Research

RhPAP engages in and supports research related to the education, attraction, and retention of health professions for rural practice. By collaborating with partners on research projects and initiatives across Alberta, RhPAP aims to develop innovative programs and policy towards improved rural health services and outcomes.

RhPAP has provided funding and support for over 30 published studies on rural health:

• Building on Success: A study of Rural Alberta Communities’ Success Strategies in Attracting and Retaining Health Professionals (2019)
• Alberta Family Physician Electronic Endoscopy Study (2018)
• Learners’ Experiences of an Enhanced Surgical Skills Training Program for Family Physicians (2018)
• Challenges and Opportunities in Rural Preceptorship (2016-2018)
• Well-being of Family Medicine Graduates (2017)
• Scope of Practice of Family Medicine Graduates who Completed a Rural Versus Urban Program (2018)
• Implications of Not Matching to a First-choice Discipline: a Family Medicine Perspective (2017)
• Perceived Preparedness for Rural Practice: Does Rural Background Matter? (2013)
• The Alberta Primary Care Endoscopy (APC-Endo) Study (2013)
• Rural Physicians’ Skills Enrichment Program: A Cohort Control Study of Retention in Alberta (2012)
• Locum Practice by Recent Family Medicine Graduates (2010)
• Family Medicine Graduates’ Perceptions of Intimidation, Harassment, and Discrimination During Residency Training (2011)
• Physician Retention in Rural Alberta: Key Community Factors (2010)
• Outcomes of 1949 Endoscopic Procedures Performed by a Canadian Rural Family Physician (2009)
• Why Would I Choose a Career in Family Medicine? (2007)
• What is Medicine? Recruiting High-school Students into Family Medicine (2006)
• The Pandemic from Within: Two Surveys of Physician Burnout in Canada (2006)
• Additional Skills Training for Rural Physicians. Alberta’s Rural Physician Action Plan. (2006)
• Acute Myocardial Infarction: Quality of Care in Rural Alberta (2006)
• General Emergency Medicine Skills for Rural Doctors (2006)
• Where Canadian Family Physicians Learn Procedural Skills (2005)
• Preparedness for Rural Community Leadership and its Impact on Practice Location of Family Medicine Graduates (2005)
• Do Students from Rural Backgrounds Engage in Rural Family Practice More Than Their Urban-Raised Peers? (2004)
• Introducing Personal Digital Assistants to Family Physician Teachers (2003)
• Does a Rural Educational Experience Influence Students’ Likelihood of Rural Practice? Impact of Student Background and Gender (2002)
• Rural Surgical Programs in Western Canada (2002)
• A Study of Alberta Physician Burnout (2002)
• Location of Family Medicine Graduates’ Practices: What Factors Influence Albertan’s Choices? (2001)
• Rural-Urban and Gender Differences in Procedures Performed by Family Practice Residency Graduates (2001)
• Alberta’s Rural Physician Action Plan: An Integrated Approach to Education, Recruitment and Retention (1998)
• Preparing for Rural Practice: Enhanced Experience for Medical Students and Residents (1998)
• Training for Rural Family Medicine: A Cooperative Venture of Government, University, and Community in Alberta (1998)
• Outcome of Thrombolysis in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction in Rural Alberta (1997)

Alberta Research and Reports

• Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA) Reports
• Alberta’s Primary Health Care Strategy (Government of Alberta, 2014)
• Better Healthcare for Albertans (Auditor General of Alberta, 2017)
• Rural Health Services Review Final Report (Government of Alberta, 2015)
• Recruitment and Retention of Physicians in Rural Alberta: The Spousal Perspective (2016)
• Position Statement, Nurse Practitioners in Alberta Primary Care (Nurse Practitioner Association of Alberta, 2019)

Canada Research and Reports

• Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) Health Workforce Reports
• The Rural Road Map for Action: Directions (The College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada, 2017)
• Review of Family Medicine Within Rural and Remote Canada: Education, Practice, and Policy (The College of Family Physicians of Canada, 2016)
• Lessons from 20 Years of Research on Nursing Practice in Rural and Remote Canada (2019)
• Nursing Practice in Rural and Remote Canada II (2018)
• Patients at the Centre: Sustaining Rural Maternity–It’s All About the Surgery! (Western Provinces Collaborative, 2016)
• Rural Challenges, National Opportunity: Shaping the Future of Rural Canada (Federation of Canadian Municipalities, 2018)
• Rural Opportunity, National Prosperity: An Economic Development Strategy for Rural Canada (Infrastructure Canada, 2019)
• Admission of Rural Origin Students to Medical School: Recommended Strategies (Society of Rural Physicians of Canada, 2004)

International Research and Reports

• Australia – Immersive Placement Experiences Promote Rural Intent in Allied Health Students of Urban and Rural Origin (2019)
• United States – Practicing in Rural Areas May Reduce Burnout, Study Finds (2019)
• Australia (Queensland) – Rural Maternity Taskforce Report (2019)
• Australia – Cairns Consensus Statement on Rural Generalist Medicine (2014)
• United States – Impact of point-of-care ultrasound on quality of care in clinical practice (2014)
• Australia – The Expanding Role of the Rural Generalist in Australia  – A Systematic Review (2007)
• Hospitals in Rural or Remote Areas: An Exploratory Review of Policies in 8 High-Income Countries (2016)
• International Approaches to Rural Generalist Medicine: A Scoping Review (2018)
• The Road to Rural Primary Care: A Narrative Review of Factors That Help Develop, Recruit, and Retain Rural Primary Care Physicians (2018)
• World Health Organization Global Policy Recommendations Report: Increasing Healthcare Access in Remote and Rural Areas (2010)