- Library Home /
- Search Collections /
- Open Collections /
- Browse Collections /
- UBC Theses and Dissertations /
- Factors influencing the life cycle activity patterns...
Open Collections
UBC Theses and Dissertations
UBC Theses and Dissertations
Factors influencing the life cycle activity patterns of fee-for-service physicians in British Columbia Kruger, Mary B.
Abstract
Projection of the future supply of physician services has attracted considerable attention all over the world, especially in North America and Europe. Supply projections, however, have not taken into account physicians’ patterns of service provision. To date, no research on supply projections has examined the relative contribution to supply life-cycle activity patterns of physicians. This study examined the life-cycle activity patterns of two groups of non-postgraduate Directory Active fee-for-service physicians in British Columbia who had practised medicine for the period 1974-84 or 1980-84. Practice activity, the dependent variable, was measured by fee-adjusted payments made to individual physicians. Practice activity was conceptualized to be influenced by three groups of interrelated factors-- personal, professional, and environmental--each comprised of a number of distinct contributory variables. Data analyses included descriptive, logistical regression and time-series/ cross-section regression methods. The time-series/cross-section regression results showed that about 35% of the variance in practice activity could be explained by all variables except past practice activity. Including this variable in the regression equations increased the variances explained to about 90%. Specialty- and sex-specific analyses showed that variances explained by the three factors, and especially the variables comprising each of the factors, varied considerably. The personal factor accounted for most of the variances; the contributions of the professional factor were very small, while those of the environmental factor were negligible. A low previous year’s income emerged as the best predictor of self-declared retirement. Most GPs, medical, and surgical specialists retired long after the usual retirement age of 65 years. The practice activity of female GPs and medical specialists was significantly lower than those of their male counterparts; this observation did not apply to female surgical specialists. Sex-specific results showed that activity levels and patterns of childbearing-aged females did not differ significantly from their non-childbearing aged counterparts. The research provides comprehensive data on the major variables influencing physician activity in a setting with comprehensive, universal, first dollar health care insurance. It also offers many insights for those interested in policy respecting physician supply and requirements, physician retirement patterns, and sex- and specialty-specific differences in practice patterns.
Item Metadata
Title |
Factors influencing the life cycle activity patterns of fee-for-service physicians in British Columbia
|
Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
|
Date Issued |
1992
|
Description |
Projection of the future supply of physician services has attracted considerable
attention all over the world, especially in North America and Europe. Supply
projections, however, have not taken into account physicians’ patterns of service
provision. To date, no research on supply projections has examined the relative
contribution to supply life-cycle activity patterns of physicians.
This study examined the life-cycle activity patterns of two groups of non-postgraduate
Directory Active fee-for-service physicians in British Columbia who had
practised medicine for the period 1974-84 or 1980-84. Practice activity, the dependent
variable, was measured by fee-adjusted payments made to individual physicians. Practice
activity was conceptualized to be influenced by three groups of interrelated factors--
personal, professional, and environmental--each comprised of a number of distinct
contributory variables. Data analyses included descriptive, logistical regression and time-series/
cross-section regression methods.
The time-series/cross-section regression results showed that about 35% of the
variance in practice activity could be explained by all variables except past practice
activity. Including this variable in the regression equations increased the variances
explained to about 90%. Specialty- and sex-specific analyses showed that variances
explained by the three factors, and especially the variables comprising each of the
factors, varied considerably. The personal factor accounted for most of the variances;
the contributions of the professional factor were very small, while those of the
environmental factor were negligible. A low previous year’s income emerged as the best
predictor of self-declared retirement. Most GPs, medical, and surgical specialists retired
long after the usual retirement age of 65 years. The practice activity of female GPs and
medical specialists was significantly lower than those of their male counterparts; this
observation did not apply to female surgical specialists. Sex-specific results showed that
activity levels and patterns of childbearing-aged females did not differ significantly from
their non-childbearing aged counterparts.
The research provides comprehensive data on the major variables influencing physician activity in a setting with comprehensive, universal, first
dollar health care insurance. It also offers many insights for those interested in policy
respecting physician supply and requirements, physician retirement patterns, and sex- and
specialty-specific differences in practice patterns.
|
Extent |
12140767 bytes
|
Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
|
Language |
eng
|
Date Available |
2008-12-17
|
Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
|
Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
|
DOI |
10.14288/1.0055939
|
URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
|
Graduation Date |
1992-11
|
Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
|
Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
|
Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.