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Rural health care workforce retention measures: A rapid scoping review.

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Title: Rural health care workforce retention measures: A rapid scoping review.
Authors: Mengeling, Michelle A.1,2,3 (AUTHOR) michelle.mengeling@va.gov, Sears, Rachel1,2 (AUTHOR), Buchanan, Casey H.4 (AUTHOR), Howren, M. Bryant1,2,3 (AUTHOR), Samuelson, Riley J.5 (AUTHOR), Miller, Karla6,7 (AUTHOR), McConnell, Chelsea4,8 (AUTHOR), Wilson, Jaime R.1,9 (AUTHOR), Archambault, Elizabeth10 (AUTHOR), Anderson, Brittany L.1,2 (AUTHOR), Axon, R. Neal4,11 (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Rural Health. Spring2026, Vol. 42 Issue 2, p1-17. 17p.
Subject Terms: *Health services accessibility, *Endowments, *Motivation (Psychology), *Experimental design, *Research bias, *Professional employee training, *Labor supply, Employee retention, Medical information storage & retrieval systems, Medical personnel, Rural health, Research funding, CINAHL database, Systematic reviews, MEDLINE, Organizational change, Online information services, Social support, Psychology information storage & retrieval systems
Abstract: Purpose: Rural Veterans face persistent barriers to care, often exacerbated by health care workforce shortages. Although recruitment initiatives are important, retaining providers in rural areas is equally critical to sustaining access and continuity of care. This rapid scoping review examined how "rural workforce retention" is defined and measured in the peer‐reviewed literature and synthesized recommended reporting elements to improve clarity and comparability. Methods: Six bibliographic databases were searched (2014–2025) for English‐language studies of rural health care in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia using terms related to rural workforce retention. Data were extracted on definitions of retention, time frames, and measurement approaches. Findings: Of 2392 abstracts screened, 268 met inclusion criteria. Among these, 172 (64%) lacked a retention definition. Of the remaining 96, nearly half (45%) measured retention using providers' intentions to stay or leave; others relied on turnover or continued rural practice. More than half (61%) specified a retention timeframe, most often retrospectively (41/59; 69%). Substantial heterogeneity across definitions, time horizons, and data sources led to the development of a reporting checklist outlining key conceptual, temporal, and methodological elements for retention research. Conclusions: Inconsistent and incompletely reported measures of rural workforce retention limit evaluation and scalability of effective strategies. Research should explicitly define retention, specify a measurable time frame, and clearly report key conceptual and methodological elements to enable comparison across settings. For the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and other rural systems, clear retention metrics are essential to ensure workforce stability and sustain access to high‐quality care for rural Veterans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Rural Health is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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PubType: Academic Journal
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  Data: Rural health care workforce retention measures: A rapid scoping review.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mengeling%2C+Michelle+A%2E%22">Mengeling, Michelle A.</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2,3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> michelle.mengeling@va.gov</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sears%2C+Rachel%22">Sears, Rachel</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Buchanan%2C+Casey+H%2E%22">Buchanan, Casey H.</searchLink><relatesTo>4</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Howren%2C+M%2E+Bryant%22">Howren, M. Bryant</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2,3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Samuelson%2C+Riley+J%2E%22">Samuelson, Riley J.</searchLink><relatesTo>5</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Miller%2C+Karla%22">Miller, Karla</searchLink><relatesTo>6,7</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22McConnell%2C+Chelsea%22">McConnell, Chelsea</searchLink><relatesTo>4,8</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Wilson%2C+Jaime+R%2E%22">Wilson, Jaime R.</searchLink><relatesTo>1,9</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Archambault%2C+Elizabeth%22">Archambault, Elizabeth</searchLink><relatesTo>10</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Anderson%2C+Brittany+L%2E%22">Anderson, Brittany L.</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Axon%2C+R%2E+Neal%22">Axon, R. Neal</searchLink><relatesTo>4,11</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Health+services+accessibility%22">Health services accessibility</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Endowments%22">Endowments</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Motivation+%28Psychology%29%22">Motivation (Psychology)</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Experimental+design%22">Experimental design</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research+bias%22">Research bias</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Professional+employee+training%22">Professional employee training</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Labor+supply%22">Labor supply</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Employee+retention%22">Employee retention</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Medical+information+storage+%26+retrieval+systems%22">Medical information storage & retrieval systems</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Medical+personnel%22">Medical personnel</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Rural+health%22">Rural health</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research+funding%22">Research funding</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22CINAHL+database%22">CINAHL database</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Systematic+reviews%22">Systematic reviews</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22MEDLINE%22">MEDLINE</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Organizational+change%22">Organizational change</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Online+information+services%22">Online information services</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+support%22">Social support</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychology+information+storage+%26+retrieval+systems%22">Psychology information storage & retrieval systems</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Purpose: Rural Veterans face persistent barriers to care, often exacerbated by health care workforce shortages. Although recruitment initiatives are important, retaining providers in rural areas is equally critical to sustaining access and continuity of care. This rapid scoping review examined how "rural workforce retention" is defined and measured in the peer‐reviewed literature and synthesized recommended reporting elements to improve clarity and comparability. Methods: Six bibliographic databases were searched (2014–2025) for English‐language studies of rural health care in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia using terms related to rural workforce retention. Data were extracted on definitions of retention, time frames, and measurement approaches. Findings: Of 2392 abstracts screened, 268 met inclusion criteria. Among these, 172 (64%) lacked a retention definition. Of the remaining 96, nearly half (45%) measured retention using providers' intentions to stay or leave; others relied on turnover or continued rural practice. More than half (61%) specified a retention timeframe, most often retrospectively (41/59; 69%). Substantial heterogeneity across definitions, time horizons, and data sources led to the development of a reporting checklist outlining key conceptual, temporal, and methodological elements for retention research. Conclusions: Inconsistent and incompletely reported measures of rural workforce retention limit evaluation and scalability of effective strategies. Research should explicitly define retention, specify a measurable time frame, and clearly report key conceptual and methodological elements to enable comparison across settings. For the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and other rural systems, clear retention metrics are essential to ensure workforce stability and sustain access to high‐quality care for rural Veterans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Rural Health is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=194917708
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        Value: 10.1111/jrh.70145
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        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Health services accessibility
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Endowments
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Motivation (Psychology)
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      – SubjectFull: Experimental design
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      – SubjectFull: Research bias
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      – SubjectFull: Professional employee training
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      – SubjectFull: Labor supply
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      – SubjectFull: Employee retention
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      – SubjectFull: Medical information storage & retrieval systems
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Medical personnel
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      – SubjectFull: Rural health
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      – SubjectFull: Research funding
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      – SubjectFull: CINAHL database
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              Text: Spring2026
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