On Doctolib, a patient will soon be able to contact his doctor directly using instant and secure messaging to ask him health questions or renew a prescription.
New feature on Doctolib, the French leader in online medical appointment scheduling. It will soon be possible to contact your doctor directly by “Patient Messaging” of the platform. This very practical option will be effective from November 2023report our colleagues from Parisian. In this context, the legal conditions of use of Doctolib (which were sent by email to all users) were updated on July 24, 2023 and will be updated more precisely on September 4.
What is Doctolib’s new instant messaging for?
This messaging allows the patient to ask a health question to his doctor or renew a prescription, especially for patients with chronic illnesses, for example, who will no longer have to make an appointment just for this. It also allows doctors to initiate prevention campaigns or inform about changes within their practice. Each practitioner will decide whether or not to open this feature.
Messages will be sent via an internal and secure system. But to send a message, the patient must have already consulted the practitioner at least once and have created an online User Account. In particular, he undertakes not to create a false identity likely to mislead Doctolib, Healthcare Providers or third parties and not to usurp the identity of another person. This message does not replace a consultation or a medical visit. In the event that the user wishes to request a consultation, he must use thee Online Appointment Scheduling Service (the classic circuit) to arrange a medical visit with the healthcare provider. It is not intended for obtaining medical reports or receiving digital medical prescriptions. Doctolib also wishes to point out that the patient messaging services are not instant chat services or emergency services and that in the event of an emergency, the user must call 15 or 112, or go to an emergency service.
Is it paid or free?
In its terms of use, Doctolib specifies that these “services are provided to the user free of charge“.
From when in France?
Contacted by Le Parisien, Doctolib indicates that this functionality should be effective in November 2023, for the 10th anniversary of the platform. The system has already been tested in Italy.