Work

Supply-Side Impact of Supporting Obstetrically Underserved Areas: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: There is limited evidence on the effectiveness of financial incentives in improving the shortage of obstetrics/gynecology (OB/GYN) specialists in underserved areas. This study aimed to examine whether the financial incentives for OB/GYN clinics were associated with improved availability of OB/GYN specialists in obstetrically underserved areas (OUA) and potentially obstetrically underserved areas (POUA) in South Korea. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was employed to observe all cities (n = 240) in South Korea for a period of 10 years (2011-2020). The cities were divided into intervention groups (cities designated as OUA and POUA) and control groups (all other rural districts). A two-way fixed-effects linear regression was used to explore the policy's association with the number of specialists at the city level. The availability of OB/GYN specialists was evaluated based on the number of total/full-time/part-time OB/GYN specialists and facilities with full-time OB/GYN specialists per 1,000 females of reproductive age. The exposures considered were grant incentives for facility and equipment costs, human resources, and additional reimbursement rates for deliveries. RESULTS: = 0.036). CONCLUSION: This cross-sectional study revealed that financial incentives, including grants and reimbursement rates, were insufficient to improve the availability of OB/GYN specialists in underserved areas of South Korea. Therefore, multidimensional financial and nonfinancial approaches are required to ensure a stable supply of specialists at vulnerable sites.

Source: Journal of Korean Medical Science

DOI: 10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e186

Authors: Hansoo Ko, Minsu Ock, Sol Lee, Joo Won Park, Mi Young Kwak, Won Mo Jang