SMS messages to notify patients of their doctor’s appointment

The list for surgery is about 8 per cent, but the average waiting time is less than two months.

Nerea Garay, Mallorca (7-01-08).- Public Health Services of the Balearic Islands has sent over half million text messages to remind patients of their appointments, within the six hospitals that belong to the local Public Health Service.

According to Ib-Salud, hospitales such as: Son Dureta, Son Llàtzer and Manacor have sent an average of 134.000 SMS reminders since this system was first implanted, last July 2005. From Verge del Toro Hospital 20.530 messages where sent, while the number of messages sent from Can Misses reaches the 52.066. Inca Hospital is still testing the system.

This permits us to remind each patient three days before their appointment. The system reminds patient’s of the appointment’s date and time, allowing them to confirm their attendance.

The project is pioneer in Spain, and has helped reduce absentism in the Balearic Island’s doctor’s office, reducing cancellations down to a 20 per cent.

The project is part of an Introductory Plan of new technologies of Ib-Salud since 2004 ” the idea is improved citizen’s access to health care”. At this time, we are still studying the possibility of sending VIH patients reminder to take their medication.

Implanting the use of these technologies, the IB-Salud expects to offer better and more efficient public service.

On the other hand, it has been confirmed that their idea is to reduce waiting lists on surgery.

A total of 10.529 patients were on operation waiting lists in the Balearic public hospitals on September 30th 2007, these means an increase of an 8 per cent with respect to 2006, while the average waiting time is less than 2 months: 58,9 days.

According to official sources, the List of Surgical Patients (LEQ) of the Balearic Public Services (Ib-Salut), at September 30th of this year was 782 patients more than Septiembre 2006, when only 9.747 patients were on waiting lists.

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