How long do general practitioners remain in any one location?: Regional and urban size variations in the turnover of foreign and New Zealand doctors in general practice, 1976-90.

Studies of doctor location have, for the most part, focused on geographic variations in access to care, rather than the continuity of care provided at different locations. This paper examines regional and city size variations in turnover rates in general practice and shows that they are highest in the southern and most rural regions of New Zealand. However, an unexpected finding was that no significant differences occurred by doctor origin. While more foreign than New Zealand medical graduates have located in rural New Zealand, similar turnover rates between the two groups indicates that their presence has not resulted in any improvement in the continuity of care provided.