By obtaining the names of their unvaccinated patients, doctors hope to be able to convince the undecided, and help those in need of information or having difficulty in making an appointment.
Illustrative image. © fizkes
“No time to waste with refractoriesGeneral practitioners now have access to the list of their patients not vaccinated against Covid-19, targeting those lacking information or having difficulty making an appointment.
Since July 7, the National Commission for Informatics and Freedoms (Cnil), the gendarme of personal data, has authorized Health Insurance to transmit to treating physicians the names of their unvaccinated patients.
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As of August 11, nearly 16,800 treating physicians had made such a request, according to the National Health Insurance Fund (Cnam).
An online service on AmeliPro
After a timid start, where requests had to be made by email – there were 5,500 as of July 29 – the Cnam opened “an online service integrated into the + amelipro + portal which facilitates its availability“. Hence an increase in requests in the first days of August.
Dr Jean-Louis Bensoussan submitted his request and found that 15% of his patients were not vaccinated, which represents around 130 people. “It’s satisfying because it shows that my speech has passed“, estimates this doctor practicing in the Toulouse region. He has since”caught up with a fortnight“who have been vaccinated.
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The practitioner, also general secretary of MG France, the leading union among general practitioners, considers this approach “useful because it allows an inventory to be made”. And to reach patients who come less regularly to the practice, “often young: this allows them to be called, to discuss, to inform them”.
A job that requires too much time for some doctors
Not all doctors are convinced by the process. On Twitter, Jean-Jacques Fraslin, doctor in Loire-Atlantique, confides “not really wanting to spend time going through lists and contacting the refractories“.
“No time to waste with refractories“, confirms Dr Bensoussan, who relies more on patients”that we don’t see often“and for whom educational work can prove useful.
Restore equality
“Not everyone is equal when it comes to internet access“Says Dr. Rochoy. The list of unvaccinated”allows to target people who could not have this access, who do not have the Doctolib application or even who do not have a smartphone“.
According to figures released Thursday evening by the Ministry of Health, more than 47.1 million people have received at least one injection (or 69.9% of the total population) and 40.5 million have a complete vaccination schedule (60 , 1%).
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Despite a slowdown in appointments, the government has set a target of 50 million vaccinated with a first dose at the end of August. For the Doctolib reservation platform, the 50 million mark should rather be reached on September 4.
