To the Editor: A rural general practitioner’s workload is significantly larger than that of his or her urban colleagues, and this is attributable to work activities in rural public hospitals.1 A GP who provides after-hours on-call service to the community through the local hospital or emergency department is not only valued, but also more likely to be retained in the rural workforce.2 However, on-call commitments and the unrelenting nature of after-hours care can negatively affect professional and personal wellbeing, family life and opportunities to enjoy the rural location.3
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- 1. McGrail MR, Humphreys JS, Joyce CM, et al. How do rural GPs’ workloads and work activities differ with community size compared with metropolitan practice? Aust J Prim Health 2012; 18: 228-233.
- 2. Russell DJ, McGrail MR, Humphreys JS, Wakerman J. What factors contribute most to the retention of general practitioners in rural and remote areas? Aust J Prim Health 2012; 18: 289-294.
- 3. Humphreys JS, Jones MP, Jones JA, Mara PR. Workforce retention in rural and remote Australia: determining the factors that influence length of practice. Med J Aust 2002; 176: 472-476.
- 4. Rural Doctors Association Australia. Viable models of rural and remote practice: stage 1 and stage 2 reports. Canberra: RDAA, 2003.
- 5. Adelstein BA, Piza MA, Nayyar V, et al. Rapid response systems: a prospective study of response times. J Crit Care 2011; 26: 635.e11-e18.
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