About one in three ob-gyns relocated in past 10 years

(HealthDay)—About one-third of obstetrician-gynecologists (ob-gyns) moved at least once in the past 10 years, according to a study published in the March issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Imam M. Xierali, Ph.D., from the Association of American Medical Colleges in Washington, D.C., and colleagues conducted a longitudinal descriptive study to examine relocation patterns of ob-gyns between 2005 and 2015. They compared a physician's county location in a year with their location during the previous year.

The researchers found that per year, an average of 6.5 percent of the 37,385 ob-gyns in practice moved. During the 10-year period, about one-third (32.1 percent) relocated (usually once or twice) and 58.2 percent remained within their state. Young, male, black, and international medical graduates had increased odds of relocating. Relocations were mainly to counties that were urban or had a lower percentage of the population in poverty. In most states there was an increase in the number of ob-gyns and women aged 18 years and older; however, there was an increase in the number of adult women per ob-gyn from 3,155 in 2006 to 3,293 in 2015. The most apparent net gains from relocations were seen in Florida, California, and Washington, while the most apparent net losses were in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, and New York.

"Observing this trend might contribute to a better understanding about the uneven national distribution of ob-gyns," the authors write.

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