Last update:
22-Mar-2023

OBJECTIVE To investigate the intention of Greek physicians working in Germany to repatriate, as well as the factors affecting it.

METHOD The survey involved 152 Greek doctors working in the German healthcare system, who were asked to complete a specially designed questionnaire expressed on a Likert-type scale, which was made in Google Forms and posted on the internet.

RESULTS The results show that the intention of repatriation of Greek doctors is rather limited. It was also found that increased repatriation intention is associated with reduced work and community integration and satisfaction with the host country, as well as increased family encouragement and perceived national identity. Finally, it was recorded that a combination of significant pull factors in the country of residence and limited pull factors in the country of origin (or alternatively, push factors from the country of residence) led to a reduction in repatriation intention.

CONCLUSIONS Brain gain is a multifactorial phenomenon, which depends on the interaction of numerous parameters and can be more complex than brain drain. Further studies are needed to better understand the phenomenon of reverse medical brain drain, given its multifactorial nature and the lack of sufficient empirical data.

Key words: Brain drain, Brain gain, Medical staff, Repatriation.