Factors associated with prolonged waiting times in geriatric primary care: systematic review of studies in public centers

(1) Background: As the population ages, chronic diseases increase, and, consequently, this age group demands and requires better attention in the health service. The prevalence of certain diseases and risk factors is characteristic of older adults and is a reason that leads them to require primary health care services expeditiously; however, in many cases, this does not occur due to various factors associated with geriatric primary care. The objective of this article was to identify the factors associated with prolonged waiting times in geriatric primary care; (2) Methods: A systematic review of the literature was carried out, focusing on journals published in English and Spanish containing original studies or systematic reviews. Searches for studies were conducted between 2014 and 2024 in the Scopus, MedLine, SciELO, and PubMed databases; (3) Results: The results yielded 17 papers directly related to the exposed subject matter, of which 13 were published in English; moreover, a greater number of papers were published during 2020; (4) Conclusions: It is concluded that the factors associated with the prolongation of waiting times in geriatric primary care were sociodemographic characteristics (race, age), distance from the care center, contextual factors, ageism, and social support.