Moberly Steven, Maxey Hannah, Foy Lacy, Vaughn Sierra X, Wang Yumin, Diaz David
Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
Department of Family Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
J Behav Health Serv Res. 2019 Apr;46(2):267-282. doi: 10.1007/s11414-018-9626-7.
Mental illness is a leading cause of disability with many public health implications. Previous studies have demonstrated a national shortage of psychiatrists, particularly in rural areas. An analysis of how this workforce distribution relates to population demographics and public/behavioral health is lacking in the literature. This study encompassed a statewide assessment of the Indiana psychiatric workforce as it relates to population characteristics and public/behavioral health. This study's findings demonstrate a profoundly low psychiatry workforce in rural counties of Indiana. The low psychiatry workforce capacity in rural counties is so disparate that the demographic and public/behavioral health characteristics differ from the State averages in the same manner as counties without a psychiatrist at all. The psychiatric workforce distribution did not differ significantly on the basis of poverty prevalence. The potential utility of indicators of population health was also evaluated and revealed that social factors such as poverty and Medicaid prevalence may be superior to more traditional measures.
精神疾病是导致残疾的主要原因，对公共卫生有诸多影响。以往研究表明，全国范围内精神科医生短缺，农村地区尤为严重。文献中缺乏关于这种劳动力分布与人口统计学以及公共/行为健康之间关系的分析。本研究对印第安纳州精神科劳动力与人口特征及公共/行为健康的关系进行了全州范围的评估。本研究结果表明，印第安纳州农村县的精神科劳动力严重不足。农村县精神科劳动力能力的低下程度如此悬殊，以至于其人口统计学和公共/行为健康特征与完全没有精神科医生的县一样，与该州平均水平存在差异。精神科劳动力分布在贫困发生率方面没有显著差异。研究还评估了人口健康指标的潜在效用，结果显示贫困和医疗补助覆盖率等社会因素可能比传统指标更具优势。
