Glossary, front desk
What are appointment reminders, and do they work?
Appointment reminders are messages a clinic sends a patient before a visit, by text, WhatsApp or email, with the time, place and how to change it. They raise attendance and turn missed visits into cancellations the clinic can refill.
Updated . Defined by the wai team for clinics, groups and health systems.
Also called patient reminders or visit reminders.
Why Appointment reminders matters to a clinic
They are among the cheapest ways to protect a clinic's diary. In a systematic review, patients sent a digital notification before their visit were 23% more likely to attend.1
A reminder that makes cancelling easy is worth as much as one that prompts attendance. A slot cancelled the day before can be offered to the waitlist, and a slot missed on the day cannot.
Questions
When should a reminder be sent?
Most clinics send one a day or two before, early enough for the patient to cancel and the slot to be refilled. Longer appointments often get a second, earlier reminder.
Text, WhatsApp or email?
Whatever the patient reads, which in many markets is WhatsApp. wai sends reminders by WhatsApp and email.
Sources
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