Every missed appointment is an empty slot and lost income, and a patient who did not get care. A short reminder the day before is one of the cheapest ways to reduce no-shows.
What to put in the reminder
- The patient's name.
- The date and time.
- The clinic name.
- A phone number to reschedule.
Dear [Name], reminder: your appointment at [Clinic] is on [Date] at [Time]. Call [Phone] to reschedule.
When to send
The evening before is usually best: close enough to remember, early enough to arrange transport. For appointments booked weeks ahead, add a second reminder when booking and one the day before. Schedule them in advance so nobody has to remember to send.
What to keep out of an SMS
A phone can be picked up by anyone. Do not include diagnoses, test results, medicines or any condition in the message. Say that a result is ready to collect, and let the patient get it in person.
Dear [Name], your results are ready for collection at [Clinic] reception. Open Mon to Sat, [Hours].
Other useful clinic messages
- Review dates: tell patients when to return.
- Immunisation days: remind parents to bring the child's health card.
- Outreach and opening hours: announce changes to everyone at once.
Send each patient their own time
With the personalized campaign tool, upload a CSV with each patient's name, date and time, and every patient gets their own message in one send. Our clinic page has more.
Cost
Rates in Uganda run from UGX 35 per SMS down to UGX 20 for larger bundles. A reminder to 300 patients at UGX 30 is UGX 9,000.
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