After you sync appointments to i-consult, patients on newly created episodes are sent an SMS with a link to their pre-consult questionnaire. [VERIFY] If a patient says they didn't get it, the cause is almost always the mobile number on the EMR record: it's missing, not a valid mobile, or it belongs to someone else (such as a next-of-kin).

```callout kind="info"
The mobile number isn't typed into i-consult. It's **read from the patient's record in your EMR** during sync. So the fix nearly always happens in the EMR, on the patient's record.
```

## Why a patient might not get the SMS

```callout kind="warning"
**The number must be a valid Australian mobile** in the form `04########` (04 followed by eight digits). During sync, the extension filters out appointments whose mobile isn't a valid mobile, so a blank field, a landline, or a mistyped number means no SMS.
```

The most common causes:

- **No mobile on file.** The patient's mobile field is empty.
- **An invalid number.** A landline, an overseas number, or a typo that isn't a valid `04########` mobile. These are skipped during sync.
- **A next-of-kin's number.** The number on the record belongs to a carer, parent or partner rather than the patient. The SMS may then reach the wrong person. This is a known limitation (Jira INTG-116).

## How to check and fix it, per patient

```steps
1. Open the patient's record in your EMR (Xestro).
2. Find the patient's **mobile number** field.
3. Confirm it's a **valid Australian mobile** (`04` followed by eight digits) with no spaces or symbols that would make it invalid.
4. Confirm the number is the **patient's own mobile**, not a next-of-kin's or carer's. If a next-of-kin number is stored in the mobile field, move it elsewhere and put the patient's own mobile in the mobile field.
5. Save the record, then **re-sync** that appointment window so the corrected number is picked up. [VERIFY] Confirm whether the SMS re-sends automatically on re-sync or needs a manual re-send from i-consult.
```

```callout kind="care"
**Be careful with next-of-kin numbers.** Because the SMS carries a pre-consult link, sending it to the wrong person is a privacy concern. If you're not certain the number is the patient's own, don't sync that appointment until it's corrected.
```

## After you've fixed the number

Once the patient's record has a valid mobile, the next sync should include them. The sync's success toast reports how many appointments were skipped as having invalid mobiles. If that count drops to zero for your patients, the numbers are now valid.

```faq
### The number looks fine but still no SMS. What else could it be?
[VERIFY] Confirm the SMS actually sent from the i-consult side (delivery status), and check the appointment type was classified as "New Consult". Only New Consult appointments create episodes, and the SMS is tied to a created episode.

### Does a follow-up appointment send an SMS?
Only "New Consult" appointment types create episodes, and the pre-consult SMS is tied to a created episode. Types classified as Follow-up or Excluded are skipped.

### The patient got the SMS but it's clearly meant for someone else.
The number on file is probably a next-of-kin's (INTG-116). Correct the mobile to the patient's own number on the EMR record and re-sync.
```