Table of Contents:
Setting up the module (ACTION NEEDED)
High-level changes to I&I
Historically I&I was one appointment-type which allowed users to select the specific product they are seeking.
In conversations with pharmacists, several friction points were identified, including reduced visibility of specific vaccines, inconsistent booking window requirements (e.g., a Shingles vaccine may be more readily available than Yellow Fever), and patients struggling to identify the correct injection. Additionally, the documentation had issues with language such as "vaccine" appearing in contexts like vitamin B12 injections, which do not involve vaccines.
To address this the following changes have been applied:
Appointment Grouping: Each immunization/injection has it's own appointment-type under a group called "immunizations/injections".
Enhanced Flexibility for Availability: Availability can be set for each immunization/injection to address varying booking windows.
Multi-service Booking: With each injection categorized as its own appointment type, we now support multi-service bookings, such as combining COVID-19 and Flu shots or booking multiple I&I services like Shingles and RSV together.
Updated documentation: The documentation has been refined to be more concise and now incorporates the most up-to-date vaccine screening questions.
The following Canny posts were addressed in the new solution:
Separate injections from immunizations - Each injection and immunization will be have it's own appointment-type.
Display injection type on appointment name - Each injection and immunization will have a unique appointment-type name, in addition to showing the product selected see here.
List of I&I Appointment-Types:
Shingles
Pneumonia
RSV
HPV
Hepatitis A/B
Tdap
Non-vaccine injections (Medications)
Other vaccines
Meningitis (coming soon)
This list will continue to expand over the course of the next few months.
Patient-intake changes:
In order to provide a more comprehensive experience, we've shifted I&I from one appointment-type to several (one for each immunization/injection). All the appointment-types are housed under a new appointment group (similar to minor ailments) called "immunizations & injections".
Appointment group: Immunizations & Injections
Once a patient selects the appointment-group they will see the complete list of immunizations & injections. Patients have found that this experience provides more clarity into the injections that a pharmacy offers.
Appointment group: Immunizations & Injections
Each immunization or injection now includes an option to indicate whether the patient has a prescription. The wording for this option will vary depending on the province.
If the answer is "Yes," the patient can specify the brand of vaccine the prescription is for.
Note: The brand selected will show up within the pharmacist-side alongside the appointment-type to make it easier to identify what vaccine may need to be ordered
If the answer is "No," the patient will be provided with information that manages their expectations, which will vary depending on the province (e.g., whether the province allows pharmacists to prescribe the vaccine). The specific language for Ontario is shown above.
Vaccine screening questions have been updated which apply to any vaccine/injection outside of Flu/COVID-19. Additional questions will be surfaced for Live Vaccines.
Pharmacist-side changes
Consultation card now includes a section for "Vaccine" which lists the product that the patient selected if they have a prescription
The Dose field is pre-filled based on the product selected
Dose pre-filled as 0.5 mL when Shingrix selected. Site pre-filled as Left deltoid as this is the most common site; however, it is entirely editable by the pharmacist.
Setting up the module (ACTION NEEDED):
1. Turn off the old I&I appointment-type by going into settings > appointment type settings > and turning public intake OFF (toggle turned grey)
2. Set up availability for the I&I appointment-types that your pharmacy will support (for more information on setting up availability go here)
3. Turn on public intake (toggle turned blue) for the I&I appointment-types that your pharmacy will support.
4. If you wish to embed specific vaccine links to your website you can find the link in settings > appointment-type settings > select an appointment-type > calendar availability.
NOTE: THIS WILL CHANGE YOUR APPOINTMENT TYPE COLOURS!!
This is because colours are associated with appointment types, but this is effectively turning off old appointment types and turning on new ones.
If you wish to embed a group link for all I&I appointment-types you can use the following URL at the end of your domain name:
https://yourdomainmedmeapp.com/schedule/activity-groups/Immunization-Injection