Factors affecting the recruitment of new obstetrician-gynecologists in Japan: A report of the MIRAI Committee of the Japanese Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

AIM

There is a chronic shortage of obstetrician-gynecologists in Japan. To increase the number of obstetrician-gynecologists, it is crucial to increase the number of residents being recruited. The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that led students and interns to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology through a questionnaire survey.

METHODS

We sent a questionnaire to the obstetrics and gynecology departments of all the medical schools in Japan (N = 81) and collected data about the institutional background, including the location, total number of obstetrician-gynecologists employed, and number of newly joined obstetrics-gynecology residents and resigned obstetrician-gynecologists and the educational and recruitment activities for medical students and interns. The net balance (increased or decreased) over the fiscal years 2013-2015 was considered a surrogate marker for the number of newly joined obstetrics-gynecology residents. We used binomial logistic regression analysis to determine the factors related to a positive net balance of obstetrician-gynecologists.

RESULTS

We obtained responses from 59 (72.8%) medical schools. Medical students who observed deliveries were more likely to become obstetrician-gynecologists than those who did not (95% confidence interval: 1.000-1.045, p = 0.052). Medical school location (rural or urban), providing medical students with preparatory lectures for national board examinations, and providing interns with experience as the first assistant during surgery were not associated with an increase in the number of newly joined obstetrician-gynecologists.

CONCLUSIONS

The experience of observing deliveries may encourage medical students to become obstetrician-gynecologists.