Pre-consultation forms for aesthetics clinics with Medesk

Medical history gets filled in on a clipboard in reception and typed in later, and the practitioner may read it as the client sits down. If a clinic sees 45 clients a month and each form takes 5 minutes to type and file, that's 225 minutes, 3.8 hours.

Medesk is practice management software for private clinics. Its pricing page lists Pre-Appointment Questionnaires and Medical history templates, and its features page describes completed questionnaires and forms in the patient record; the pricing page doesn't say which plan includes questionnaires, so confirm that before you subscribe. Send the questionnaire with the booking. The prescriber or practitioner reads it before the consultation, and consent to treatment is taken by them, in person, after a consultation. A form never replaces that. Prescription-only treatments such as botulinum toxin need a consultation with a prescriber first.

An aesthetics clinic in Guildford with one nurse prescriber and a part-time therapist sees about 45 clients a month, new and returning, and has paper medical history forms at reception.

About 3 hours a month saved (180 minutes), worth around £60 if reception time is worth £20 an hour. At 45 appointments a month the clinic is inside Medesk's Free plan (50 appointments, 2 users); above 50, Pro is listed at $16 (about £12) per 50 appointments, so check your price. Prices are in dollars. If the Free plan turns out not to include questionnaires, the cost rises to Pro.

1. 1Before subscribing, check with Medesk which plan includes pre-appointment questionnaires, since the pricing page doesn't say, and what the cost is above 50 appointments a month.
2. 2Build a medical history form that mirrors your current paper one, and review it with your prescriber.
3. 3Send it with every new booking and ask returning clients to update it at set intervals.
4. 4Brief the team: the practitioner reads the form and goes through it with the client before any treatment.
5. 5Update your privacy notice and run a data protection impact assessment for health data.

• Medical history is special-category health data under UK GDPR. You need a clear lawful basis, a privacy notice, a data processing agreement with Medesk and a check on where data is stored; the page doesn't say where it's hosted.
• Consent to treatment is given in person after a consultation with the practitioner. A ticked form isn't consent.
• A form completed at home can be wrong or out of date, so the practitioner confirms allergies, medicines and conditions face to face.
• Prices are in dollars. The Free plan stops at 50 appointments a month, and the page doesn't say which plan includes questionnaires; confirm before you rely on it.