Warum gibt es in Deutschland ein Problem in der ambulanten Versorgung?

Despite increasing numbers of doctors and doctor density in the outpatient sector, a care problem has developed in Germany in recent years. Obviously, it is becoming increasingly difficult for patients to get an appointment with a specialist or to find a family doctor or paediatrician. On the other hand, doctors are complaining about increasing utilisation, which they can no longer afford. There are many press articles, political and professional policy statements and scientific papers on this subject [1, 2, 3]. Causes cited include: the shortage of GPs, the increasing utilisation of medical services due to demographics, too few medical school places, the work-life balance of the younger generation and others. The healthcare system in general, and outpatient care in particular, is a system with long latencies in relation to the various (professional) policy measures and attempts at control that have taken place in the past. Therefore, the temporal development of various key figures over several decades is presented and analysed here in relation to today's care problems.