Most episodes are created automatically when your appointments sync from your EMR. When you need to add a patient by hand (a booking that didn't sync, or one made outside your usual system), you can create the episode on the clinician's behalf. You pick the doctor, enter the patient and appointment details, and i-consult applies that clinician's defaults and sends the questionnaire link to the patient.

```callout kind="info"
**Before you start**, make sure:

- You're associated with the clinician you're booking for (they appear in your **Clinician** column and clinician filter). See [Managing episodes as a secretary](/i-consult/managing-episodes-as-a-secretary).
- You have the patient's **mobile number**. It's required, because that's where the questionnaire link is sent.
- You have the appointment date and time.
```

## Create the episode

```steps
1. On the **Dashboard**, click **Create Patient Episode**.
2. Under **Creating Episode For**, choose the clinician this appointment is for ("Select a clinician"). This is the secretary-only step: it tells i-consult whose defaults to apply and whose name the patient sees.
3. Enter the **Patient Name** (for example, John Smith).
4. Set the **Date of Birth** using the DD/MM/YYYY picker. The patient uses this to verify themselves before starting the questionnaire, so make sure it's correct.
5. Optionally add an **Email** (for example, john@example.com).
6. Enter the **Mobile Phone**. This is required (for example, 0412 345 678). An appointment reminder SMS with the questionnaire link is automatically scheduled to this number.
7. Set the **Appointment Date** (date and time).
8. Choose the **Consultation Type**: **New** or **Follow-up**.
9. Check the **Consultation Time (minutes)** (5–180). It pre-fills from the clinician's default; adjust it if this appointment is longer or shorter.
10. Check **Days Before Appointment** (0–30). This sets when the patient receives the questionnaire link, and it pre-fills from the clinician's default. The **SMS Reminder Scheduled** preview shows the exact send date and a badge such as "3 day(s) from now" or "Sending today".
11. Optionally add a **Reason for Visit (Optional)**. You can leave this blank; the reason will otherwise be collected from the patient during their chat session.
12. Click **Create Patient Episode**. The button shows "Creating..." and then "Created!" once the episode is saved.
```

## The clinician's defaults are applied for you

When you pick the clinician in **Creating Episode For**, i-consult automatically applies that doctor's saved preferences to the new episode: their **Focus Level**, their default **Consultation Time** for New and Follow-up appointments, and their default **Days Before Appointment**. You don't need to know each clinician's settings; choosing the right doctor is enough. You can still override the consultation time, send timing, or consultation type on this one episode if you need to.

## What happens next

Once the episode is created, i-consult takes over. It schedules the reminder SMS for the send date shown in the preview, delivers the questionnaire link to the patient's mobile, and guides them through their pre-visit history. You'll see the new episode in the dashboard list under the clinician you selected, starting at **Pending**.

```callout kind="care"
Double-check the patient's mobile number and date of birth before you submit. The link goes to that mobile, and the patient must enter that date of birth to unlock the questionnaire. After three failed attempts they're locked out. The clinician remains responsible for reviewing the collected history at the consultation.
```

## If it doesn't work

- The patient hasn't started their questionnaire → you can resend the link. See [Resending a questionnaire link](/i-consult/resending-a-questionnaire-link).
- A clinician you need isn't in the "Creating Episode For" list → you're probably not associated with them yet; ask your practice administrator. See [Managing episodes as a secretary](/i-consult/managing-episodes-as-a-secretary).

## Related articles

- [Managing episodes as a secretary](/i-consult/managing-episodes-as-a-secretary): the secretary view, the clinician filter, and access control.
- [Resending a questionnaire link](/i-consult/resending-a-questionnaire-link): resend the SMS if a patient hasn't engaged.