Won't you stay just a little bit longer? A discrete choice experiment of UK doctors' preferences for delaying retirement. Issue 1 (January 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cleland, Jennifer; Porteous, Terry; Ejebu, Ourega-Zoé; Ryan, Mandy; Skåtun, Diane
• Is Part Of: Health policy. Volume 126:Issue 1(2022)
• Page Start: 60
• Page End: 68
• Publication Date: 2022-01
• Subjects: Workforce retention -- Discrete choice experiment -- Doctors -- Retirement; Medical education -- Periodicals; Medical policy -- Periodicals; Delivery of Health Care -- Periodicals; Education, Medical -- Periodicals; Health Education -- Periodicals; Health Planning -- Periodicals; Public Policy -- Periodicals; Enseignement médical -- Périodiques; Politique sanitaire -- Périodiques; Medical education; Medical policy; Periodicals; Electronic journals; Electronic journals; 362.1
• DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2021.11.004
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0168-8510

Abstract

Abstract: Introduction and aims: Health systems around the world face difficulties retaining their workforce, which is exacerbated by the early retirement of experienced clinicians. This study aims to determine how to incentivise doctors to delay their retirement. Methods: We used a discrete choice experiment to estimate the relative importance of job characteristics in doctors' willingness to delay retirement, and the number of extra years they were willing to delay retirement when job characteristics improved. 2885 British Medical Association members aged between 50 and 70 years, registered with the General Medical Council, practising in Scotland (in December 2019), and who had not started to draw a pension were invited. We compared the preferences of hospital doctors (HDs) and general practitioners (GPs). Results: The response rate was 27.4% ( n = 788). The number of extra years expected to work was the most important job characteristic for both respondents, followed by work intensity for GPs, whereas working hours and on-call were more important for HDs. Personalised working conditions and pension taxation were the least important characteristics for both groups. Setting all characteristics to their BEST levels, GPs would be willing to delay retirement by 4 years and HDs by 7 years. Conclusions: Characteristics related to the job rather than pension could have the greatest impact on delaying retirement among clinicians.