Organization of French outpatient psychiatric clinics and delay to appointment

Objectives

The goals of the study were to obtain a glimpse of the several types of organization of outpatient psychiatric clinics, as well as an overview of delays between a request for and the first appointment. We also look at geographical variability of appointment scheduling delays and assess the impact of the number of new applications on delays.

Methods

We analyzed information collected from a phone survey conducted with the 103 adult outpatient psychiatric clinics of the French region Hauts-de-France. This survey had a one-week inclusion period in November 2022 and focused on the organization and delays before obtaining an appointment.

Results

This study indicates that organizations seem to be homogeneous. Eighty-one outpatient psychiatric clinics (96.4%) receive with scheduled appointments. The initial evaluation by a nurse followed with a proposal for the organization of care seems to be the common practice. It also appears that primary psychiatric structures were capable of providing a response within a reasonable time frame in making a first appointment with a mental health professional. On the other hand, delays were much longer and heterogeneous for first appointments with psychiatrists and psychologists.

Conclusions

The organizations of the outpatient psychiatric clinics of the French region Hauts-de-France seem homogeneous. The evaluation by a nurse followed with a care proposal is the common practice. Primary psychiatric structures are able to provide a response within a reasonable time, with half the centers proposing an appointment with a nurse within 10.0 days.