De Novo Orthopedics
Fill This Before You See the Doctor — A Patient & Family Guide
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Fill This Before You See the Doctor — A Patient & Family Guide

You walked into the clinic and saw a QR Code poster, but you're not sure what to do. This guide walks you through the 2-3 minute pre-consult form, why your confirmation code matters, and what to do if scanning or filling goes wrong. You're not filling it to add paperwork — you're filling it so the doctor can spend more time with you.

irehabuser-manualpreconsultpatient

Why your doctor is asking you to fill this

A clinic visit usually gives you only a few minutes. If the first half is spent telling the doctor your age, where it hurts, and when it started, there's barely any time left to discuss what to do about it. The pre-consult form lets the doctor read what you want to say before you even walk in — so the actual face time can be about examining you, asking follow-up questions, and deciding next steps. The full reasoning lives in Pre-Visit Brief: When the Patient Can't Tell You Whether It's Tendon or Nerve.

This guide walks you through the steps.

1. What you do (2–3 minutes)

  1. Walk into the clinic; in the waiting area or at reception, find the QR Code poster
  2. Open your phone camera and point it at the QR Code — a web address will appear
  3. Tap the address — a short form opens
  4. Fill it in and submit (most fields are buttons you tap, not boxes you type)
  5. Your screen shows a code like PC-K7M2R9
  6. Take a photo of that code or remember it — your doctor may ask
  7. Go back to the waiting area and wait to be called

2. What's on the form

About 10 fields in total:

  • Name
  • Birth year (Gregorian calendar) — for young children (under 3), it also asks for the month
  • Sex (male / female / other)
  • Phone (optional — helps recover your record if you forget the code)
  • Where it bothers you (a sentence or two in your own words, e.g., "right knee catches going downstairs")
  • What kind of discomfort (pain / numbness / weakness / multiple / other — tap)
  • How it started (bumped it / lifted something heavy / kept doing the same motion / woke up with it / gradually — tap)
  • Current pattern (constant / comes and goes / getting worse / getting better / same / not sure)
  • Visible wound? (yes / no / not sure)
  • Anything to add? (free text, up to 150 chars — optional)

About 2–3 minutes. Every step saves automatically, so nothing is lost if the form is interrupted.

3. After you submit

Submit
    │
    ▼
┌────────────────────────────────┐
│  Your code: PC-K7M2R9           │
│  Take a photo or remember it —  │
│  your doctor may ask            │
└────────────────────────────────┘
    │
    ▼
  Back to the waiting area
  • Your code is valid for 180 days. If you come back to the same clinic within that window, the doctor can pull up this record
  • After submission, your record appears on the doctor's screen within about 30 seconds — no need to announce it separately

4. If something goes wrong

Camera won't open or can't read the QR Code

  • Try a different phone (iPhones sometimes get stuck on camera permissions)
  • Ask a front-desk assistant to scan once for you — they'll walk you through the next steps

You scanned the QR from inside LINE

  • LINE opens the form in its internal browser, which sometimes glitches
  • Tap the top-right "···" → "Open in Safari / Chrome" — it'll run smoothly

Called away mid-way

  • Don't worry. Rescan the same QR from the same phone and it picks up where you left off
  • Switch phones mid-way and you start over

You already have an iRehab account

  • The form auto-fills your name, phone, and birth year
  • You just fill in today's complaint and symptoms — about 30 seconds

Submitted but forgot your code

  • If you entered a phone or email, tell the front desk — the doctor can look it up
  • Otherwise, scan the QR again and fill a new one (the old one stays in the system but can't be found)

ID number typo

  • The ID field cannot be edited after submission. Tell the front desk; they'll help

5. Common questions

Q: Why am I filling this out? I've never done this before. A: So the doctor knows what you want to talk about before you walk in. The face time is then about examining and discussing — not collecting basic info.

Q: I don't know how to use a smartphone. A: Tell the front-desk assistant. They'll scan for you and walk you through it. You won't get stuck.

Q: Will my data leak? A: Only doctors at this clinic can see it. You don't share it, other hospitals and family can't see it. If you're not put on long-term follow-up, the record is archived after 180 days.

Q: If I didn't enter a phone number, can you still find my record next time? A: The doctor can, using the PC-XXXXXX code in your phone. But if you forget the code and didn't leave contact info, it can't be recovered. Take a photo of the code.

Q: Why does the doctor still ask me questions I already filled in? A: What you filled is reference material, not a replacement for the doctor's own inquiry. The physical exam (palpate, tap, test) has to happen in person — that's for your safety.