The study aimed to quantify the preferences of young physicians for different attributes relevant to practice establishment in Germany.
Qualitative in‐depth interviews of 22 physicians were conducted to identify relevant practice attributes. Based on this information, a questionnaire was developed containing a discrete choice experiment comprised of a “best–worst scaling” (BWS) task. It was mailed to a representative sample of 14,939 young physicians who were close to making a decision regarding practice establishment. Regression analysis was used to estimate utility weights quantifying physicians' preferences for practice attributes.
Qualitative interviews identified six attributes: “professional cooperation,”“income,”“career opportunities of the partner,”“availability of child care,”“leisure activities,” and “on‐call duties.” For the BWS task, 5,026 returned questionnaires were analyzed. Results indicated that a change in income led to the largest utility change compared with changes in other attributes. Additional net income to compensate the disutility of a rural practice as compared with an urban practice was 9,044€/months (U.S.$ 11,938). Yet, nonmonetary attributes such as on‐site availability of childcare and fewer on‐call duties would decrease the additional income required to compensate the disutility of a rural practice.
The results offer quantifiable information about young physicians' preferences in establishing a practice. It can assist health policy makers in developing tailored incentive‐based interventions addressing urban–rural inequalities in physician coverage.
