Department of Medicine, University at Buffalo, ECMC-DKM 216, 462 Grider St, Buffalo, NY, 14215, USA.
Hum Resour Health. 2012 Jul 10;10:15. doi: 10.1186/1478-4491-10-15.
We recently proposed that Lebanon could become a regional 'academic hub' through the repatriation of emigrated Lebanese physicians who would then provide clinical services in the Arab Gulf region on a locum tenens basis. The objectives of this study were to assess the willingness of Lebanese medical graduates practicing in the United States of America to relocate to Lebanon and the Arab Gulf region and to explore the factors associated with this willingness.
In 2009 we surveyed Lebanese medical graduates practicing medicine in the United States. The questionnaire included questions about their willingness to relocate to Lebanon and to the Arab Gulf region and the associated timeframes. The questionnaire also included questions about family factors. We linked responders' answers to their personal, educational, and practice characteristics provided by the American Medical Association Physicians' Dataset. We conducted both descriptive and regression analyses.
A total of 286 physicians participated in the survey (57% response rate). A majority (61%) was willing to relocate to Lebanon (51% possibly, 10% definitely). A third (33%) were willing to relocate to the Arab Gulf region (31% possibly, 2% definitely). About half (54%) were willing to relocate to Lebanon as a base for clinical missions to the Arab Gulf region (49% possibly, 5% definitely). Willingness to relocate to Lebanon was independently associated with Lebanese citizenship and the birthplace of the spouse being Lebanon, and inversely associated with US citizenship. Willingness to relocate to the Arab Gulf region was independently associated with being board certified, and inversely associated with being married, the age of the oldest child, and practicing in direct patient care. Willingness to relocate to Lebanon as a base was not independently associated with any factor.
The findings of this study support the feasibility of the proposal of Lebanon becoming a regional 'academic hub'. Future research should explore other factors important for the feasibility of the proposal as well as actual relocation.
我们最近提出，通过遣返移居海外的黎巴嫩医生，黎巴嫩可以成为该地区的“学术中心”，这些医生将以临时工作的形式在阿拉伯海湾地区提供临床服务。本研究的目的是评估在美国行医的黎巴嫩医学毕业生愿意返回黎巴嫩和阿拉伯海湾地区的意愿，并探讨与这种意愿相关的因素。
2009 年，我们对在美国行医的黎巴嫩医学毕业生进行了调查。问卷包括他们愿意返回黎巴嫩和阿拉伯海湾地区的意愿以及相关的时间框架。问卷还包括有关家庭因素的问题。我们将应答者的回答与美国医学协会医师数据集提供的个人、教育和实践特征联系起来。我们进行了描述性和回归分析。
共有 286 名医生参加了调查（回应率为 57%）。大多数（61%）愿意返回黎巴嫩（51%可能，10%肯定）。三分之一（33%）愿意返回阿拉伯海湾地区（31%可能，2%肯定）。大约一半（54%）愿意返回黎巴嫩，将其作为前往阿拉伯海湾地区进行临床任务的基地（49%可能，5%肯定）。愿意返回黎巴嫩与黎巴嫩公民身份以及配偶出生地为黎巴嫩独立相关，与美国公民身份则呈负相关。愿意返回阿拉伯海湾地区与是否获得委员会认证独立相关，与婚姻状况、最大孩子的年龄以及是否从事直接病人护理工作呈负相关。愿意返回黎巴嫩作为基地与任何因素均不独立相关。
本研究的结果支持黎巴嫩成为地区“学术中心”的可行性提议。未来的研究应探讨该提议可行性的其他重要因素以及实际的迁移。
