Patient Response Links let you give patients more control, allowing them to respond to a recall message even if they’re not booking an appointment. These clickable links can automatically record a SNOMED-coded outcome in the patient’s record based on their response.
✅ What are Patient Response Links?
You can embed response options directly into your message template (e.g. “I’ve already done this” or “I want to speak to someone”).
When a patient clicks one of these links:
Their chosen response is recorded
The SNOMED code you’ve mapped to that response is automatically written back to EMIS
This helps reduce admin time and improve data capture.
🧠 Example Use Cases
Use case | Example message | Example Action |
A patient wants to speak to someone before booking their smear test | You’re due for your cervical screening. If you’d like to speak to someone before booking, [click here and we’ll get in touch]. | Hippo records the response as 15635006 Patient requested callback about Cervical Screening. |
A patient wants to decline their NHS Health Check | You’re eligible for a free NHS Health Check. If you’d prefer not to attend at this time, [click here to decline]. | Hippo records the response as 758661000000102 NHS Health check declined and stops future recall messages for this campaign. |
A parent has already had their blood test completed elsewhere. | You are due your routine blood test. If you’ve already had this blood test at another provider (e.g. hospital), [click here to let us know]. | Hippo records the response as 24671000000101 Completed action already elsewhere. |
🛠️ How to Create Patient Response Links
1️⃣ Go to Step 4 (Recall Flow) when creating or editing a recall campaign and click on 'Manage Message Templates'
2️⃣ Click '+ New Message Template.'
Alternatively you can click on an existing template to edit it.
3️⃣ Click '+ Create Patient Response Link'
4️⃣ Choose the SNOMED code you want to be written back when a patient clicks on the link
ℹ️ Note on SNOMED Codes
The SNOMED codes available in the dropdown are not a complete list. If you know the exact SNOMED code(s) you’d like to use but don’t see them in the list, please let us know by sending us a chat message and we can add them for you.
5️⃣ Type the writeback message you want to be written into the patient EHR (e.g. patient declined recall)
6️⃣ Click 'Save'
ℹ️ You'll be able to view, amend and delete the response links here:
➕ How to Add Custom Response Links to a Message
Once created, you will need to also add these links into your message template below by using the "Add Link" button.
1️⃣ In the body of your message, write the sentence you'd like to include the response in, then highlight the specific text you want to turn into a clickable link
2️⃣ Click on the 'Add Link' button
3️⃣ Click on the 'Patient Response Link' tab
4️⃣ Select the relevant patient response link you created from the dropdown list
5️⃣ Click 'Apply'
ℹ️ You can include multiple links in a single message. Just repeat the steps.
6️⃣ Click 'Save' to finalise your template with the response links
📋 What Happens After a Patient Clicks?
Once a patient clicks a link:
They're asked to confirm their date of birth
❗️Submitting an incorrect dob simply alerts an error saying incorrect dob was provided
They’re shown a confirmation screen
The description is logged in their patient record
The specified SNOMED code is added to their EMIS record
🚨 How Long Are Links Active For?
Links expire in 30 days.
💡 Best Practice Tips
Use clear, patient-friendly language
Make sure you map the right SNOMED code for each response
Got questions? Email us at [email protected] — we’re happy to help.