Process of Succession by Family Physicians in Their Family's Clinic: A Qualitative Study

Introduction : The aim of this study was to clarify the process by which family physicians succeed their parents in their familyʼs clinic and issues that successors experience during this process. Methods : Subjects were certified family physicians in Japan who either succeeded their parents in their clinics or were working regularly at their familyʼs clinic and were planning to succeed their parents. Participants were recruited through a certified family physician mailing list or privately contacted, and participated in a semi-structured individual interview. The text of the interviews was thematically analyzed. Results : Twelve participants were interviewed. All were male. Seven participants succeeded their parents. Family physicians succeeding their parents in their clinics felt implicit expectations towards succession from their family members and communities, which made them think that succession was the goal. They realized that they had no ability to decide on the timing of succession, clinics have customs and continuity, predeces-sors have different ideas about professionalism, and family businesses are complex. They felt conflict, espe-cially about predecessors, in their emotions towards family members and ideas based on professionalism. Conclusion : We clarified the process of succession by family physicians in their familyʼs clinic, and the issues and conflicts they face during this process.