The Value of e-Booking (Online Appointment Booking) in Healthcare: Study – iamsick.ca blog

No-shows, or missed appointments, are a costly and unfortunate reality for many healthcare providers in Canada.  In 2014, 90% of surveyed Canadians expressed a desire for online appointment booking, yet only 7% of Canadian family physicians offered it.  This falls far below the 66% of Swedish physicians and 30% of American physicians who offer online appointment requests (2012).

The Study

The Canada Health Infoway 2012-2013 study investigated the impact of e-booking at six private medical practices in Canada over a two-year period.  The objectives of the study were to:

1. Measure adoption
2. Evaluate patient perceptions
3. Assess the effect on number of no-shows

The Results

1. The number of online bookings increased by 32%.  The number of users/registrants also increased.
2. Patients perceived three major benefits: scheduling flexibility, time savings, and automated reminders.
3. The e-booking system’s automated appointment reminders (via telephone, e-mail or text message) proved to reduce the number of no-shows experienced by each clinic.

Interesting Findings

The study found that an overwhelming majority used the online appointment booking system to book appointments for themselves rather than for a relative.

“Our results show that e-booking systems seem to represent a win-win solution for patients and physicians.”

e-Booking (Online Appointment Booking) in 2015

In 2015, still fewer than 10% of Canadians can book family physician appointments online.  This number can be improved.

Canada Health Infoway ran an e-Booking Initiative in 2014 to encourage broader use of this digital health solution.  e-Booking offers many potential benefits, including:

• time savings
• cost savings
• improved productivity
• reduced no-shows
• improved healthcare access
• improved patient satisfaction
• improved staff satisfaction

For more information on the benefits of e-booking and Infoway’s work in promoting the tool across Canada, take a look at our previous blog post.

iamsick.ca’s e-Booking Platform

Canadians are ready for a change, and we’re here to help.  iamsick.ca‘s e-booking platform was designed to integrate with clinic workflows and software.  With complete EMR-integration, appointments booked online can effortlessly appear in your scheduler.  Reduce no-shows, time spent managing phone-calls and improve clinic efficiency with valuable analytics.

If you’re interested in offering e-booking in your clinic or pharmacy, contact us at partners@iamsick.ca for more information.

Original Paper: Adoption, Use, and Impact of E-Booking in Private Medical Practices: Mixed-Methods Evaluation of Two-Year Showcase Project in Canada

Authors: Guy Paré, PhD; Marie-Claude Trudel, PhD; Pascal Forget, PhD

Additional Sources: Patient e-booking: Practice perspectives on the benefits, challenges and lessons learned by Canada Health Infoway 2015