What to do when flu season floods your clinic with calls
Sado AI team · · 4 min read
In short
From late autumn to spring, flu and cold season sharply raises calls to clinics, especially in the morning: people ask for a paediatrician today, a home visit, a vaccine, tests and certificates. Keep separate same-day slots and a separate list for home visits. On the phone, ask who is ill, their age, what they need and a convenient time, but never diagnose or name medicines. Your doctors write the list of danger signs: if one is mentioned, direct the caller to 103 or to the doctor on duty.
What calls a clinic gets in flu season
- “Is there a paediatrician today?” A child developed a fever overnight.
- A home visit: the patient can’t go out, or there’s a small child at home.
- Vaccines: “Has the flu vaccine arrived, how much is it, do I need to book?”
- Tests: when to come, whether to come on an empty stomach.
- A certificate for work or school: how to get one.
At many clinics most of these calls come in the morning, between 8 and 10. If the line is busy, parents call another clinic.
What to ask on the phone, and what not to say
| Ask | Don’t say |
|---|---|
| Who is ill: a child or an adult, their age | A diagnosis: “it’s probably flu” |
| What they need: a visit, a home visit, a vaccine, a test | A medicine’s name or dose |
| A convenient time and phone number | Promises like “don’t worry, it’ll pass” |
| Any danger signs, from the clinic’s list | Medical advice beyond the list |
The clinic’s doctors write the list of danger signs, and whoever answers the phone asks only from it. If a sign is present, they advise calling 103 or transfer the call to the doctor on duty.
Sample call: a child with a fever
Sado: Assalomu alaykum, Mehr family clinic, Malika speaking.
Caller: Hello. My son is four and has had a fever since last night. Can he see a paediatrician today?
Sado: Yes. The paediatrician is free today at 16:30. What’s your son’s name?
Caller: Samir. What medicine can I give him now?
Sado: Only a doctor can advise on medicines. If you like, I’ll put you through to our duty nurse now. If he finds it hard to breathe, call 103 straight away.
Caller: Yes, the nurse please. And book the appointment.
Sado: Done, Samir is booked for 16:30 today. Connecting you now, please hold.
Getting ready for the morning rush
- Every day, keep a few same-day slots in the paediatrician’s and GP’s schedules and don’t book them in advance.
- Log home visits on a separate list: address, patient’s age, phone. The doctor plans the route from it.
- When slots run out, keep a waiting list: if someone cancels, call the first person on it.
- Write the vaccine answer in one place: whether it’s in stock, the price, how to book. Everyone should give the same answer.
- Every evening, check one number: how many calls went unanswered.
Before the season: inviting patients to vaccinate
In October, make a short call to patients who were vaccinated last year or agreed to such calls: “The vaccine has arrived; will you be vaccinated this year?” Only your own patients, and only those who agreed. A number that asks not to be called comes off the list. Put only the name, phone and vaccination date on the list, never a diagnosis. Uzbekistan has a law on personal data: if in doubt, ask a lawyer.
Flu season with an AI operator
An AI receptionist for clinics answers every call within a second even in the morning rush, with no queue, in Uzbek or Russian. It books free slots, logs home visits as requests and answers vaccine questions from your clinic’s facts. It leaves medical questions to the doctor and, by your rule, transfers to a nurse or the doctor on duty. AI outbound calls make the October vaccine calls. Try it live or call 78 778 01 23.
Questions
Can we tell a patient on the phone which medicine to take?
No. Only a doctor names a medicine and dose. On the phone, book an appointment or, by your rule, connect the caller to a nurse or the doctor on duty.
When do booking calls peak in flu season?
At many clinics, in the morning, in the first hour or two after opening. Put the most people on the phone then, and keep same-day slots free in advance.
How does the AI operator spot an urgent case?
From the list of danger signs your doctors wrote. If a caller mentions one, the operator advises calling 103 or transfers to the doctor on duty by your rule.