A study analyzed doctors’ agendas.
It is not a myth: waiting times in the general practitioner are often (very) long, especially in areas where caregivers are fewer. Fortunately, some weekly slots are less frequented, which allows you to consult your doctor faster and calmly.
There is no unique consensus on the “best time” to go to the doctor in France, but several observations have highlighted general trends over the hours of influx. According to a study by Doctolib on 2,500 doctors, the general practitioners carry out an average of 22 consultations per day, of an average duration of 17 minutes. The study observes a concentration of consultations in the morning and in the early evening. According to the authors of this study, the mornings are often in demand because patients favor these slots for rapid consultations or minor emergencies. The afternoons are also saturated because many patients seek to consult after their working day. Finally, Mondays and Saturday mornings are generally highly requested time slots, due to the closure of many firms on weekends.
On the other hand, there would be far fewer people in the early afternoon, especially at the start of the week like Tuesday. Indeed, the early afternoon often corresponds to the resumption of consultations after the lunch break: the schedule restarts on time, which minimizes delays. Doctors are often more rested and organized after their lunch break, which allows them to respect the schedule more. Finally, some medical offices reserve the early afternoon for simpler or short meetings (prescriptions, controls), which fluidifies the pace. Thus, if your schedule allows, it can be interesting to target the slots between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
The online appointment platforms like Doctolib allow you to visualize availability in real time and choose slightly requested slots. They also offer availability alerts: if a patient cancels his appointment, you can recover a more advantageous niche. For simple requests (renewal of prescription, follow -up, medical advice …), teleconsultation makes it possible to avoid waiting rooms.
