Patterns of resident health workforce turnover and retention in remote communities of the Northern Territory of Australia, 2013–2015

Patterns of resident health workforce turnover and retention in remote communities of the Northern Territory of Australia, 2013–2015 Journal Article

Human Resources for Health

• Author(s): Russell, Deborah J., Zhao, Yuejen, Guthridge, Steven, Ramjan, Mark, Jones, Michael P., Humphreys, John S., Wakerman, John
• Published: 2017
• Volume: 15
• ISBN: 1478-4491

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Abstract: The geographical maldistribution of the health workforce is a persisting global issue linked to inequitable access to health services and poorer health outcomes for rural and remote populations. In the Northern Territory (NT), anecdotal reports suggest that the primary care workforce in remote Aboriginal communities is characterised by high turnover, low stability and high use of temporary staffing; however, there is a lack of reliable information to guide workforce policy improvements. This study quantifies current turnover and retention in remote NT communities and investigates correlations between turnover and retention metrics and health service/community characteristics.

• Urls: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-017-0229-9
• Keywords: Remote health, Rural workforce, Health workforce, Fly-in/fly-out, Rural health services, Aboriginal, Aboriginal health practitioner, Remote area nurse, Turnover, Retention