PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Delpech, Raphaëlle
AU  - Le Neindre, Charlène
AU  - Panjo, Henri
AU  - Rigal, Laurent
TI  - Presence of Primary Care Physicians and Patients’ Ability to Register: A Simulated-Patient Survey in the Paris Region
AID  - 10.1370/afm.3001
DP  - 2023 Jul 01
TA  - The Annals of Family Medicine
PG  - 341--343
VI  - 21
IP  - 4
4099  - http://www.annfammed.org/content/21/4/341.short
4100  - http://www.annfammed.org/content/21/4/341.full
SO  - Ann Fam Med2023 Jul 01; 21
AB  - Using the health care system fully in some countries requires patients to register with a primary care physician (PCP). Public health policies measure PCP density to maintain satisfactory local PCP supplies and limit geographic inequalities. In an exhaustive simulated-patient survey in the Paris, France region, we analyzed how well presence of PCPs was associated with patients’ ability to register for care. Of 5,188 census blocks, 55.4% had at least 1 PCP; however, only 38.6% had at least 1 PCP accepting registration for office visits, and only 19.4% had at least 1 PCP accepting registration for home visits (P <.001 across the 3 indicators). Cross-block inequalities in accepting registration were steeper than those related to PCP density, indicating that this density metric offers false reassurance and is inadequate to support policy decisions.