The dermatology work force: A focus on urban versus rural wait times
Abstract
Background Recent studies suggest a shortage of dermatologists with an average wait time of 36 days in the United States and 40 days in Ohio for a routine dermatology visit. To date, no previous studies have examined supply and demand of dermatology services in rural versus urban populations.Objective We sought to determine the average wait time for a dermatology appointment for new and established patients in both urban and rural areas.Methods The offices of 250 dermatologists in Ohio were contacted by telephone to determine the wait time for the next available appointment for new and established patients with a changing mole.Results The average wait time for new (4.5 weeks) and established (3.1 weeks) patients was similar to times reported in previous studies. A greater density of all dermatologists and medical (general) dermatologists practice in cities, but wait times were not statistically different in rural versus urban settings.Limitations Neither insurance status or use of physician extenders were considered. The findings may not be applicable to areas outside Ohio.Conclusion There is a shortage of medical dermatologists throughout Ohio. Training more medical dermatologists or adding physician extenders to dermatology practices would be expected to decrease the waiting time for dermatology appointments. Providing incentives for dermatologists to practice in underserved rural areas may not be necessary judging by the similarities in wait times between rural and urban settings.
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Various authors have reported difficulties in obtaining an appointment with a dermatologist.
“However, various authors have reported difficulties in obtaining an appointment with a dermatologist [12,14-17].”
From Use of Smartphones for Early Detection of Melanoma: Systematic Review (2018) · cites this paper as [14]
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- Authors
- Uhlenhake, E., Brodell, R., & Mostow, E.
- Affiliations
- Northeast Ohio Medical University (US)
- University of Rochester Medicine (US)
- Case Western Reserve University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Mostow, Eliot
- ORCID
- Mostow, Eliot
- Venue
- Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2009-07
- Volume
- 61
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 17-22
- ISSN
- 0190-9622 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1984442206
- Cited by
- 76
- References
- 16
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 3.16
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Emergency Medical Services › Global Health Workforce Issues
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Diversity and Career in Medicine
- Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Healthcare Policy and Management
- Keywords
- dermatology workforce, physician shortage, appointment wait times, urban-rural disparities, physician extenders, Ohio
- MeSH terms
- Workforce, Appointments and Schedules, Dermatology, Humans, Ohio, Rural Population, Skin Diseases, Urban Population, Waiting Lists
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