Medical intake forms: How to collect patient information online

When there is a client coming to your institution in need of medical care, taking personal details may take too much time. If a medical intake form is ready for the patient to fill out, it will speed up the process tremendously. And because it is the first step of your clients reaching out to you, it will also leave a good first impression. 

In the medical intake form, you can learn about everything from the patient’s medical history and chronic illnesses to their contact information and address. When you start medical care with this knowledge, you prove to your patients that you offer high-quality service from the start.

What is the medical intake process?

The medical intake form is used by healthcare providers to obtain patient medical history, chronic illnesses, past surgeries, symptoms, and other details about patients. You can also ask for their contact information and address. It is the legal way to obtain data from patients.

The medical intake process is when a patient coming to your clinic fills out forms with their personal information and details. But to speed this process up, it is also possible to use online forms. If you use online forms when a new patient makes a reservation, it will eliminate possible issues in the clinic. If you have the medical intake process before seeing the patient, you will make sure that the day will run smoothly every day.

The definition of medical intake process

If you have the patient fill out long forms while waiting in the waiting room, it may result in a mess in the flow of work. Therefore, having this patient intake process beforehand will help everything go as smoothly as possible.

How to use medical intake forms to collect patient information

You can collect medical intake information during the wait times in the clinic or before coming there via using an online medical intake form. When you create an online form for collecting client information, you can ask about the medications they use, their medical history, family medical background, and their contact information. But, do you need to use a patient intake form, and why?

How to create a medical intake form online

Creating a medical intake form online can be very easy with the right form creator. There are multiple form builder options to choose from, and forms.app is one of the best sites to go with. It is free, easy to use, and completely customizable. A medical intake form is a type of inquiry form, and it is similar to contact forms for collecting information. And there are many templates for all of these. Here is how to easily create a form on forms.app:

1  - Go to forms.app and log into your account, or easily create one.

2  - Find the intake form you need from the templates section. 

3  - Prepare the form from scratch or choose one of the appropriate templates and start quickly.

4  - Go to the design section and customize the design.

5  - You can add question types and form fields if you want.

6  - You can add a field to collect documents from your patients. They can add their insurance files or test result documents.

7  - Another field you can add is an online signature field. You can collect signatures from afar, and it is completely legal.

8  - Once you are done with your form, share it with your target audience.

Do I have to obtain consent during the intake process?

When personal data is obtained from individuals, a consent form should be signed by them because it is illegal to obtain and use personal information without the other party’s knowing consent. Therefore, it is mandatory to get consent beforehand. And according to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), “Consent must be freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous.” The person signing the consent form must be thoroughly informed.

Free intake form templates to get you started

forms.app is a powerful form builder that offers many helpful templates. It has over 150+ templates to choose from, and there are multiple client intake form examples and inquiry forms to choose from. Of course, it is also possible to start from scratch, but having a ready-to-go template would be a good start. Here are three examples of intake form templates:

Medical Intake Form

Patient Intake Form

Mental Health Intake Form

SEE MORE TEMPLATES

Summary

A medical intake form is a form that allows hospitals, clinics, and caregivers to collect a patient’s medical background, chronic illnesses, past surgeries, and contact information. Thanks to these forms, they collect the necessary information they need. Now, with the help of forms.app, it is possible to have this process anywhere, at any time, with an online medical intake form.

The necessary information can be collected by an online form, but it is also a legal requirement to have them sign a consent form. Because when personal data is taken from someone, a consent form should be signed as well. Anyone can easily create these online forms thanks to the easy interface of forms.app. The templates are completely customizable and helpful too.

So, in conclusion, medical intake forms are a must the have in healthcare organizations, and having this process online would be a huge help. If you want to create your own in a matter of minutes, go and visit forms.app today!