[One after the other: factors influencing the abandonment of Family and Community Medicine practice in young family physicians. A qualitative study].

Abstract

Objective: A strong Primary Care has beneficial health effects. Its more beneficial attribute is longitudinality, which requires job stability in order to occur. In addition, Primary Care is facing a crisis due to the number of retirements it expects. The permanence of young professionals in Primary Care could contribute to improve longitudinality and the generational turnover of professionals. Therefore, this study explored the reasons that influence the abandonment of Family Medicine among young family physicians.

Methods: A qualitative descriptive-interpretative study was carried out in Granada and Madrid in 2022. By means of purposive snowball sampling, young family physicians who had left their job were recruited, with whom in-depth interviews and a triangular group were carried out. The information was coded inductively and analyzed according to the thematic content analysis method.

Results: Young family physicians left Family Medicine due to the frustration of not being able to practice as they would like to, job dissatisfaction and a pessimistic view of their future as workers. The decision to leave by these young professionals had been favored by the worsening of working conditions after the pandemic and by the values they have regarding work.

Conclusions: The decision of young family physicians to leave the practice of Family Medicine is complex. To contribute to their permanence in Primary Care, it's necessary to improve their working conditions and increase the prestige of Family Medicine.