Changes in the Characteristics of Rehabilitation Physicians over Two Decades: Analysis of National Physician Census Surveys in Japan

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to analyze the demographics of rehabilitation physicians and their retention trends, identify factors related to physician retention, and consider the policy implications. METHODS: The individual data from 1996 to 2016 from a national census survey administered every two years by the national government of Japan were analyzed. The physician retention trends were then evaluated. Finally, a multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the factors related to the retention of rehabilitation physicians. RESULTS: The total numbers of rehabilitation physicians in 1996 and 2016 were 902 (0.4% of all physicians) and 2484 (0.8% of all physicians), respectively, an increase of 175%. It should be noted that between 1996 and 2016 the number of physicians aged ≤39 years decreased, whereas the number of physicians aged ≥40 years greatly increased to 2118, accounting for 85.3% of all rehabilitation physicians in 2016. The overall annual retention rate of full-time rehabilitation physicians from 1996 to 2016 increased by 6.6%. The odds of continuing to practice as a rehabilitation physician were significantly higher for academic hospital physicians than for clinic physicians. CONCLUSION: The dramatic increase in the number of rehabilitation physicians in Japan has been prompted by policy measures and rapidly increasing demands for rehabilitation due to the aging of society. Ensuring the entry of younger physicians into this career path through efforts such as establishing rehabilitation medicine classes in every school of medicine is necessary to promote the development of specialist rehabilitation physicians in Japan.