When you sync appointments to i-consult and confirm the import, eligible patients are contacted with an invitation to complete a short **pre-consult questionnaire** before their visit. This article explains what the patient receives, what they see, and how their answers come back to you.

```callout kind="info"
This follows on from [Sync your appointments to i-consult](/browser-extension/sync-appointments-to-i-consult). Patients are only contacted for created episodes, that is, appointments whose consult type you've mapped to **New Consult** (see [Set up your appointment-type mappings](/browser-extension/set-up-appointment-type-mappings)).
```

## The text message and link

After a sync, patients on newly created episodes are sent a **text message (SMS)** containing a **link** to their pre-consult questionnaire. They tap the link, answer the questions on their phone, and submit. There's no app to install and no login to set up.

```callout kind="info"
The exact wording of the message and the format of the link are managed by i-consult. 
```

## What the patient sees

```steps
1. The patient receives an SMS inviting them to complete a pre-consult questionnaire for their upcoming appointment.
2. They open the link on their phone.
3. They answer the questions and submit their responses.
```

```callout kind="success"
The questionnaire is designed to be quick and done before the appointment, so the relevant background is ready when the patient arrives. That saves time in the room.
```

## How answers come back to you

Once a patient completes the questionnaire, their answers flow back into **i-scribe** and the **dashboard**, ready for the appointment. So the context the patient provided is available to you ahead of, and during, the consult, without anyone re-keying it.

## Important: the mobile number used

```callout kind="care"
The mobile number the SMS is sent to is read from the **patient's record in Xestro** during the sync. In some records this number belongs to a next of kin or another contact rather than the patient, which means the questionnaire link could reach the wrong person. 

Before relying on the invitation reaching the patient, check the patient's record holds the **patient's own** mobile number. This is part of confirming patient identity and contact details, which remains the clinician's and practice's responsibility.
```

```callout kind="warning"
If a patient has **no valid Australian mobile** on their record, they won't be contacted; the sync excludes appointments without a valid mobile (a number starting `04`). If patients aren't receiving the SMS, the most common cause is a missing or incorrect mobile on their Xestro record. See [Patients aren't receiving the SMS](/browser-extension/patients-not-receiving-sms).
```

## If it doesn't work

- **A patient didn't get the message** → check their Xestro record has a valid patient mobile (starting `04`), and that their appointment type is mapped to **New Consult**. See [Patients aren't receiving the SMS](/browser-extension/patients-not-receiving-sms).
- **The wrong person got the message** → the record may hold a next-of-kin number rather than the patient's. Update the patient's mobile on their record.
- **Answers haven't appeared** → confirm the patient submitted the questionnaire; completed answers flow back to i-scribe and the dashboard.

```faq
### How are patients contacted?
By SMS to the mobile number on their Xestro record, with a link to a pre-consult questionnaire.

### Which patients get contacted?
Patients on newly created episodes: appointments whose consult type you've mapped to New Consult, that are upcoming, and that have a valid Australian mobile.

### Where do the patient's answers go?
Back into i-scribe and the dashboard, so they're available for the appointment.

### Could the message go to the wrong person?
It's possible. The mobile is read from the patient's Xestro record, and in some records that number belongs to a next of kin rather than the patient. Check the patient's own mobile is on record.

### Does the patient need an app or a login?
No. They tap the link in the SMS and complete the questionnaire on their phone.
```