Communications and Media Studies, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
J Health Organ Manag. 2010;24(3):237-57. doi: 10.1108/14777261011054590.
The paper aims to analyse how the medical profession, the pro-competition organisation, and the rural community have responded to the rural doctor shortage with reference to international medical graduates (IMGs) as reported in Australian newspapers.
DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Utilising the commercially available database LexisNexis during 2003, the author keyed in "overseas trained doctors" and retrieved 641 Australian newspaper articles. The qualitative data analysis software NVivo2 has assisted the author to organise the data, informed by critical realism and narrative analysis.
While the medical profession is undoubtedly committed to serving the health needs of the Australian public, the medical community is less than united in addressing the rural doctor shortage, especially through the employment of large numbers of IMGs. The handling of IMGs has led to tensions not only between the locally trained and IMGs, but also between rural and non-rural doctors, and between younger and established doctors. The medical professional institutions seemed relatively detached from the adverse consequences of the shortage of doctors in the rural community. This contrasts the efforts demonstrated by the Rural Doctors Association and the rural community.
ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This paper concludes with a critical realist and narrative analysis and resolving of the rural doctor shortage and recommends close communication and consultation among the diverse interest groups rather than their engaging in blaming one another. This would be an obvious starting point to address the rural doctor shortage, which may partly be achieved by the effective use of services by IMGs.
本文旨在分析医学界、支持竞争的组织以及农村社区如何应对农村医生短缺问题，并参考澳大利亚报纸对国际医学毕业生（IMGs）的报道。
设计/方法/途径：作者在 2003 年利用商业上可用的数据库 LexisNexis，输入“海外培训医生”，检索到 641 篇澳大利亚报纸文章。定性数据分析软件 NVivo2 协助作者组织数据，信息来源于批判现实主义和叙事分析。
虽然医学界无疑致力于满足澳大利亚公众的健康需求，但医学界在解决农村医生短缺问题上并不团结，尤其是通过大量雇用 IMGs。IMGs 的处理不仅在本地培训的医生和 IMGs 之间，而且在农村和非农村医生之间，以及在年轻医生和资深医生之间引起了紧张关系。医学专业机构似乎相对脱离了农村社区医生短缺的不利后果。这与农村医生协会和农村社区所表现出的努力形成鲜明对比。
原创性/价值：本文最后对农村医生短缺问题进行了批判现实主义和叙事分析，并提出了解决方案，建议不同利益群体之间进行密切的沟通和协商，而不是相互指责。这将是解决农村医生短缺问题的一个明显起点，部分可以通过有效利用 IMGs 的服务来实现。
