Feelings toward medicine in remote areas among medical students aiming to become generalists : A comparison with other specialists

Abstract

Geographic maldistribution of physicians is a serious problem in Japan, resulting in a few physicians in remote areas. We distributed questionnaires to 396 medical students at Tokushima University from 2013 to 2016. We examined the intensity of medical students toward medicine in remote areas by using a visual analog scale and investigated what medical specialty they chose after two years of clinical training. The intensity of interest in medicine and the intensity of willingness to contribute to it in remote areas were statistically higher among medical students who intended to choose general medicine. After graduation, only five participants chose to specialize in general medicine. Of the 14 medical students who originally chose general medicine, six chose internal medicine, three chose general medicine, and the others chose surgery, neurosurgery, anesthesiology, orthopedics, or emergency medicine. This study demonstrated that medical students who intend to choose general medicine have a higher intensity of willingness to contribute to medicine in remote areas, indicating that the support program for these students to become general practitioners after graduation increases the number of physicians in remote areas.