When you need to relay information to a large number of patients quickly, sending an SMS message can often be the most effective approach. This is why Gentu has implemented a Bulk SMS feature that can be used from the Patients list.
How to send a message
Sending a message to a large number of patients can be done from the Patients list by selecting the Bulk SMS button. This feature works best when used with the Patient List Filters, which will allow you to apply search criteria to refine the patients you communicate with.
Within the list of patients, you can tick the boxes to the left of a patient's name to include them in sending the SMS. This will allow you to fine tune the patients who will receive the SMS communication. If no patients are selected, the Bulk SMS will be sent to all patients listed.
When you select the Bulk SMS button, you will be presented a window that advises how many patients will receive the message. At present, this does not take into consideration patients who do not have a mobile number entered, so the number of patients receiving the message may be less than predicted.
You can enter the message to be sent to the selected patients within this window. This does not allow for any references to be inserted, such as the patient's name or appointment details. This window will also display the number of credits that will be used for each patient receiving the message.
For example, in the screenshot below, there are 63 patients expected to receive this message, and the message is 1 SMS credit in length. This means that a totals of 63 SMS credits will be used in sending this message.
Once you have entered the message to be sent to patients, you can select the Send button. This will send immediately, and will be displayed in the patient's SMS History with a timestamp of when it was sent.