Are there more healthcare workers in our community? A phenomenological exploration of factors influencing local hospital and primary care worker re-engagement in rural Australia

Introduction

The local healthcare workforce is critical to rural communities, which face more complex health conditions than urban counterparts. Workforce shortages exacerbate strain on rural healthcare systems and create service access barriers. To date, retention and recruitment strategies have struggled to resolve staffing issues. This study investigated an overlooked local resource: hospital and primary healthcare workers previously employed or working at less than full-time capacity in rural Queensland, Australia. We explored barriers and enablers to increasing their working hours or returning to the workforce.