Enhancing General Practitioner Resilience in Latvia: Challenges and Solutions

Project/agreement No.

VPP-VM-Sabiedrības_Veselība-2024/1-0002

Project funding

300 725.00 EUR

Project manager

prof. Dr.med. Ilze Grope

Project realization

01.09.2024. - 30.06.2026.

Aim

The project aims to investigate the factors influencing the recruitment and retention of new generations of doctors in the state-funded healthcare sector, specifically in the general practitioner (GP) specialty, within the era of value-based healthcare. It will also provide policy recommendations to address these challenges.

Description

A well-planned and developed primary healthcare system is an essential component of a high-performing, efficient healthcare system. However, in Latvia, there are challenges in attracting human resources to the GP specialty within the public sector. This issue may stem from insufficient interventions during both undergraduate and postgraduate education, variable socioeconomic factors, and ineffective incentives at the national and municipal levels.

By employing a multidisciplinary, international, and collaborative perspective, the project aims to generate new insights by evaluating national and local incentives, as well as both international and local factors, that enhance the recruitment and retention of students in the GP specialty in Latvia, with a particular focus on regional aspects.

Based on the research findings, short-term and long-term policy recommendations will be formulated for the relevant stakeholders to attract new doctors to the GP specialty in the public sector and ensure their retention in the profession. The recommendations will also define the potential impact on the national budget. The project's outcomes will contribute to a sustainable approach to the provision of healthcare and public health services in the country, supporting the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders with evidence-based recommendations.

Outcomes to be achieved

Scientific databases and data sets, obtained and developed within the project framework - 2;
Other research specific project results (including the data) which supplement the above mentioned results:
- Analysis of scientific literature – 2;
- Development of students’ scientific papers – 4;
- Communication of research process and results to the industry and society – 28;
Reports on policy recommendations and policy impact -1;
Original scientific articles submitted or accepted for publication in journals or conference proceedings included in the Web of Science Core Collection or SCOPUS databases - 2;
Conference materials - summaries (abstract max 1 page) - 2.

About the project on the RSU Research portal

Reports

The project researchers have presented their scientific findings and published abstracts.

RSU Research Week 2025

RSU Research Week official page

Society.Health.Welfare Conference

Scoping review of Factors Influencing Medical Students’ Residency Choices with an Emphasis on Family Medicine, in Latvia and Other Countries
Scoping Review of Factors Influencing the Choice of Young Physicians to Practice Family Medicine, Especially in Rural Regions with an Emphasis on Family Medicine, in Latvia and other Countries
Family Medicine as a Career Choice: A Scoping Review of Interventions Used in Latvia and Beyond in Affecting Medical Students' Choice of Residency
Interventions to Attract and Retain Family Medicine Physicians in Speciality and in Rural Areas: Practices in Countries Around the World

Places Conference

To be or not to Be: Agency and Resilience of Early Career General Practitioner

14th EURIPA (European Rural and Isolated Practitioners Association) Rural Health Forum 2025

EURIPA abstract book (pdf)

Municipal interventions to attract family medicine residents in Latvia: challenges and strategies (Kore, M., Kohva, A., Griķe, I., Heaster, C.L., Livdanska, B., Harris, M.F., Kozlovska, L., Grope, I.), abstract book p. 45
Strategic policy mechanisms to address general practitioner shortages in Latvia’s primary healthcare system: A qualitative analysis of national-level documents (2017–2024) (Livdanska, B., Griķe, I., Grope, I., Kore, M., Kohva, A., Heaster, C.L., Harris M.F.), abstract book, p. 87

30th European Society for Rural Sociology Congress

European Society for Rural Sociology abstract book (pdf)

“From Vulnerability to Resilience”: Young General Practitioners in Times of Healthcare Challenges in Rural Areas (Potetinova, I., Bite, D.), abstract book p. 297

17th international SIEF (International Society for Ethnology and Folklore) Congress