Global Brain Drain: How Can the Maslow Theory of Motivation Improve Our Understanding of Physician Migration?

Lena Dohlman, Matthew DiMeglio, Jihane Hajj and Krzysztof Laudanski
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Lena Dohlman: Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
Matthew DiMeglio: DO/MBA Student, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19131, USA
Jihane Hajj: Department of Cardiology, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
Krzysztof Laudanski: Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 7, 1-13

Abstract: The migration of physicians from low-resource to high-resource settings is a prevalent global phenomenon that is insufficiently understood. Most low-income countries are severely understaffed with physicians, and the emigration of the already limited number of physicians to other countries can significantly reduce access to healthcare in the source country. Despite a growing interest in global capacity building in these countries by academic and non-governmental organizations in high-income countries, efforts to stem physician migration have been mostly unsuccessful. The authors reviewed the current literature for the motivational factors leading to physician migration in the context of Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs. Our study found that financial safety needs were major drivers of physician emigration. However, factors related to self-actualization such as the desire for professional development through training opportunities and research, were also major contributors. These findings highlight the multifactorial nature of physician motivations to emigrate from low-resource countries. Maslow’s Theory of Motivation may provide a useful framework for future studies evaluating the concerns of physicians in low-income countries and as a guide to incentivize retention.

Keywords: brain drain; physician migration; low- and middle-income countries; physician workforce; Maslow theorem (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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