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EmailPosted April 15, 2014 by Fraser Ratchford
Benefits to patients
Often, when I try to book a medical appointment, it can be a frustrating experience as it means busy signals and waiting on hold. However, e-booking solutions can let patients book their own appointments, in a matter of seconds and at their own convenience. Canada Health Infoway recently launched an e-Booking Initiative designed to encourage the adoption of e-booking solutions.
As part of the initiative, we also released a white paper examining the benefits of e-booking for both clinics and patients. In Part 1 of this blog series, I examined the benefits to clinics. Now it’s time to look at the benefits to patients:
- Convenience. No more busy signals and an ability to book appointments 24/7.
- Time savings. One study found the time it took for patients to book an appointment was reduced by 80 per cent.
- Ease-of-use. Patients found online booking to be an easy process and said they would do it again.
- Making it easier for everyone else. Even patients who did not book appointments online benefited as there were fewer people booking calls through phones.
- e-Reminders. Patients can receive electronic alerts and reminders, which means fewer missed appointments.
Have you ever used e-booking to make a medical appointment? Tell us what you thought.
Have a comment about this post? We’d love to hear from you.
Fraser has a passion for making a difference and focuses on improving the experiences of patients/consumers and clinicians alike. Fraser is the Group Program Director for Consumer Health and Innovation at Canada Health Infoway where he manages a broad portfolio of initiatives.
