Templates FAQ

Gwynneth Derere
Gwynneth Derere
  • Updated

Does Patchs have a set of pre-built questionnaires and templates?

Yes. More information on ’standard’ questionnaires and message templates is available here.

Can I build my own questionnaires that code back into the clinical system?

Yes. More information on how to build your own questionnaires and message templates is available here. 

Can SNOMED codes be associated with the questionnaires and coded back into the clinical system?

Yes

Where do templates go once completed by the patient?

Templates are sent to the clinical system, adding associated SNOMED codes as well as the free-text questions and answers. There is no time limit for the patient to complete them, but a reminder is sent to the patient asking for them to be completed at a frequency set by the practice.

If the template is not completed, the message remains in the 'awaiting response' inbox until completed by the patient, closed by a member of staff, or auto-completed.

The practice can set the auto-completion time.

Can templates be sent in bulk?

Yes. More information on how to send message templates in bulk is available here.

Are there clinical governance procedures for templates?

All pre-built templates are approved by our clinical safety team, which includes practicing GPs and other health care professionals. Custom templates developed by practices will need to be reviewed under their own clinical governance procedures.

Can existing templates created by the practice with other online consultation systems be migrated into Patchs?

Yes, you can migrate message templates to Patchs.

  1. You can migrate them manually on the Message Templates page in Patchs. More information on how to manually migrate message templates is available here.
  2. If you have many message templates and would prefer to upload them in bulk, please create a .csv file with all the message templates using this form template_upload_form.csv and send it to the Support desk. This is restricted to questions and advice message templates. The message template csv file must include:
    • Title – name of message template
    • Message – the content of the message template
    • SNOMED code – Concept ID of the SNOMED code that should be associated with the message when sent to a patient. If you are editing the form in excel then please put a single quote (') in front of the concept ID, so excel treats it as a full number.
    • Reply required – if you would like the patient to respond, please put 'y' in this column otherwise leave it empty 
    • More information on how to create a message template csv file is available here.
  3. Very soon you will also be able to upload your message templates in bulk directly in Patchs. This is restricted to questions and advice message templates. More information on how to upload message templates in bulk once this feature is released is available here.

Does the Artificial Intelligence send questionnaires to patients automatically based on responses, and could it ever be sent inappropriately?

To the first question – yes. The questionnaires are shown to patients whilst they are submitting their request.

If the patient does not feel the questionnaire is appropriate, they can choose to 'skip' completing it.

Once the request arrives at the practice, staff can also reply to the patient with other relevant questionnaires to complete, in the case that the AI has not assigned one, or if the patient has chosen not to complete the one it has assigned.

This information is used to evaluate the effectiveness of the AI and to help it learn and improve.

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