Understanding Slot Rules
What Are Slot Rules?
Slot Rules define when a doctor is available for appointments. The system uses these rules to automatically generate individual bookable time slots for patients.
Slot Rule Fields
- Doctor — Which doctor the rule applies to
- Days of Week — Which days (Mon-Sun) the rule is active
- Time Range — Start and end time (e.g., 09:00 - 13:00)
- Slot Duration — Length of each appointment (e.g., 15 min, 30 min)
- Break Time — Buffer between appointments
- Patient Type — New Patient or Follow-up — determines which patients can book
- Consultation Mode — Walk-in (in-person) or Teleconsultation (video) — requires Teleconsultation add-on
- Schedule Type — Weekly (repeats weekly), Monthly (specific dates), or Rolling (continuous)
How Slots Are Generated
- The system reads active slot rules
- For each rule, it generates individual time slots based on duration and buffer
- Holidays and blocked dates are excluded
- Slots are generated up to a configured number of days ahead
- A background job refreshes slots daily
Managing Holidays
Holidays block slot generation for specific dates:
- Add clinic-wide holidays (affects all doctors)
- Add doctor-specific leave days
- Existing booked appointments are NOT automatically cancelled
Tips
- Create separate rules for morning and evening sessions
- Use different rules for walk-in and teleconsultation slots
- Set different patient types (new vs follow-up) for better scheduling
- Always verify generated slots after creating or modifying rules