Factors contributing to the recruitment and retention of rural pharmacist workforce: a systematic review.
2021
Background: Recruiting and retaining medical, nursing, and allied health professionals in rural and remote areas is
a worldwide challenge, compromising continuity of care and population health outcomes in these locations.
Specifically, pharmacists play an essential and accessible frontline healthcare role, and are often the first point of
contact for health concerns. Despite several incentives, there remains a maldistribution and undersupply of
pharmacists in rural and remote areas across many parts of the world. Although current systematic reviews have
focussed on factors affecting pharmacists’ retention generally, literature specifically focused on rural pharmacist
workforce in a global context remains limited. The aim of this systematic review is to identify factors associated
with recruitment and retention of the pharmacist workforce in rural and remote settings. Better understanding of
these contributors will inform more effective interventional strategies to resolve pharmacist workforce shortages. Methods: A systematic search of primary studies was conducted in online databases, including Medline, Embase,
CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science and PsycINFO, and by hand-searching of reference lists. Eligible studies were
identified based on predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria and methodological quality criteria, utilising the Critical
Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) and Good Reporting of A Mixed Methods Study (GRAMMS) checklists. Results: The final review included 13 studies, with quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods research design.
Study-specific factors associated with recruitment and retention of pharmacists in rural practice were identified and
grouped into five main themes: geographic and family-related, economic and resources, scope of practice or skills
development, the practice environment, and community and practice support factors. Conclusions: The results provide critical insights into the complexities of rural recruitment and retention of
pharmacists and confirms the need for flexible yet multifaceted responses to overcoming rural pharmacist
workforce challenges. Overall, the results provide an opportunity for rural communities and health services to better
identify key strengths and challenges unique to the rural and remote pharmacist workforce that may be
augmented to guide more focussed recruitment and retention endeavours.
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