Half of general practitioner appointments are obtained in less than three days, according to a study carried out by the online platform Doctolib which places these practitioners well ahead in terms of accessibility time. Next come pediatricians (50% of appointments obtained in less than 7 days), dentists and midwives (11 days), psychiatrists (16 days), gynecologists (22 days), and ophthalmologists (25 days), according to this study carried out by Doctolib using data from its platform.
Dermatologists (36 days) and cardiologists (42 days) have the longest lead times. “Dermatology is a specialty that requires less urgent care, and cardiological emergencies are frequently referred to the hospital,” notes Doctolib to explain their significantly longer delays. As for masseurs-physiotherapists, the only paramedical profession scrutinized by the study, half of the appointments are granted in less than 6 days. Between 2021 and 2023, “the median times for granting appointments” for the different specialties “do not change, or only slightly, which is an encouraging signal given the increase in demand for post-Covid care and the decline in medical demographics,” indicates Doctolib.
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Doctolib carried out the study on the basis of appointments made on its platform, i.e. 87.6 million consultations for general practitioners in 2023 out of a total of more than 200 million consultations for general practitioners in France. For practitioners who use teleconsultation, this can significantly speed up the time it takes to make an appointment, according to the study. Thus, the median appointment time falls to one day for teleconsultation for general practitioners and pediatricians, two days for midwives, four days for gynecologists, seven days for cardiologists, eight days for dermatologists, and 17 days for psychiatrists.
The overall figures provided by the study may, however, hide strong disparities between departments, and even within departments. “In seven regions of France, around fifteen departments are in difficulty” compared to the rest of the country, “with median delays at least twice as long, for at least three professions,” notes Doctolib. These departments are Gers, Saône-et-Loire, Nièvre and Territoire de Belfort, Loiret, Cher, Deux-Sèvres, Ardèche, Eure, Calvados, Manche, Loire-Atlantique and Côtes d’Armor, Pas-de-Calais.