Appointment Settings

Overview

Appointment settings control how the scheduling system generates available time slots. By configuring slot duration, buffer times between appointments, maximum daily capacity, and how far in advance patients can book, you ensure smooth clinic flow without overbooking or idle time between patients.

Configuring Appointment Settings

1. Navigate to Settings > Appointments — Click Settings and select the Appointments tab.
2. Set slot duration — Default is 30 minutes. Choose 15, 20, 30, 45, or 60 minutes depending on your specialty. Shorter slots suit general practice; longer slots suit psychiatry or complex procedures.
3. Configure buffer time — Time between appointments for preparation or overrun. Set 0, 5, 10, or 15 minutes. A 5-minute buffer between 30-minute slots means 7 patients per hour maximum instead of 8.
4. Set max appointments per day — The absolute limit regardless of available slots. Useful to prevent overwork even if time allows more bookings.
5. Set advance booking window — How many days ahead patients can book (advance_days). Default is 14 days. Set lower for high-demand clinics to prevent far-future booking waste.
6. Max bookings per slot — For clinics that allow multiple patients in the same slot (e.g., group therapy), set this above 1.
7. Save — Settings apply immediately to future slot generation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do these settings affect already booked appointments?

No. Only future available slots are regenerated. Existing appointments keep their original time allocations.

Can different days have different slot durations?

Not at the clinic level, but individual doctors can vary their schedule per day through their working_hours configuration.

What happens if max per day is reached?

No more slots appear as available. Patients attempting to book online will see a "fully booked" message. Staff can still create override appointments if needed.