Bottlenecks Beyond Primary Care: Patient and Healthcare Worker Perspectives on Access to Specialists, Diagnostics, and System Organisation in Poland

: Respondents differentiate clinical competence from system performance: negative assessments cluster around organisational barriers and capacity constraints in specialist and diagnostic pathways. Improving patient navigation and information, scheduling and administrative workflows, and specialist/diagnostic capacity-while strengthening primary care coordination-may reduce delays and support more equitable, higher-quality care.