Factors associated with increasing rural doctor supply in Asia-Pacific LMICs: a scoping review

Table 3 Summary of the characteristics of the eligible articles

Data collection method and analysis		Population analyzed
Data collection method and analysis		Medical graduates^a		Medical students^b	Both medical graduates and students
Method	Number of studies	Preference^c	Actual^d	Preference^c	Preference^c	Actual^d
Quantitative	48	12	19	16	5	0
Descriptive analysis	12	3	9	1	0	0
Univariate analysis only	10	3	4	1	3	0
Multivariate analysis	26	6	6	14	2	0
Qualitative	15	4	6	2	3	2
Policy analysis	3	1	2	0	0	0
Review	2	0	2	0	0	0
Mixed method	3	1	2	0	0	0
Total	71	44		18	9

71 articles were originated from 12 countries: 1 low-income country (Nepal), and 11 middle-income countries (Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam)
^aIncludes: doctors at internship; any doctors before, during and after attending postgraduate study or specialization
^bIncludes: medical students at all levels
^cPreference refers to intentions or attitude to work or stay working in rural or remote locations among respondents who were not working in such locations at the time of data collection
^dActual refers to current work or retention in rural or remote locations at the time of data collection

ISSN: 1478-4491