Dietitians: planning follow-ups over several months
Nutrition follow-up runs over months, with gaps that grow and clients who drift. How to plan the rhythm, mix in-person and video, and keep clients coming back.
7 min read
Follow-ups over several months work best when the rhythm is agreed at the start and the next dates are always booked. At the end of the first consultation, agree with the client how often you'll meet, book the first follow-ups before they leave, and review the rhythm at each visit as the gaps grow. Offer video follow-ups for weeks when coming in is hard, plan around holidays in advance, and have a simple way to reach clients who stop booking, so they don't quietly drop out of their programme.
Why dietetic follow-up is hard to schedule
Nutrition work takes time. Changing habits, adjusting a plan, seeing results and dealing with setbacks happen over weeks and months, not in one or two sessions. That means a client's calendar with you stretches far beyond the first appointment, while their life changes around it: work, holidays, family events, motivation that goes up and down.
If each follow-up depends on the client remembering to book, gaps appear. A follow-up planned for three weeks becomes six, then the client feels awkward about coming back after so long. A clear rhythm, with the next date always set, avoids that drift.
Agree the rhythm at the first consultation
The first consultation is where you understand the client's situation and goals. It's also the right moment to explain how the follow-up will work: roughly how often you'll meet, for how long, and what each follow-up is for. How often is your professional decision, and it depends on the person and the goal. What matters for scheduling is that the client leaves knowing the plan.
| Phase | Typical focus | Booking approach |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Setting up new habits, first adjustments | Book the first follow-ups before the client leaves |
| Middle | Adjusting the plan, handling setbacks | Book the next one or two at each visit |
| Later | Keeping results, more autonomy | Longer gaps, next date always set |
| End or pause | Review, what to do alone | No booking, or a check-in date agreed together |
Use this as a frame, not a prescription: your own plan for each client decides the gaps.
Book the next dates before the client leaves
On Book, each type of consultation is a service with its own price and optional description, and you open slots for each at the length it takes: a long first consultation, shorter follow-ups. At the end of a consultation, book the next follow-up yourself from your calendar. The slot is removed from your page, and the client leaves with a date.
When the next few follow-ups are already agreed, book them all at the end of the visit. Where possible, keep the same weekday and time. If you take measurements, seeing the client at a similar time of day makes the results easier to compare from one visit to the next.
Mix in-person and video follow-ups
Some follow-ups need the client in the room, for measurements or a longer discussion. Others are mainly a conversation: how the week went, what's working, what to adjust. Those can often happen by video, which saves the client a journey and makes it easier to keep a follow-up during a busy week.
Create video follow-ups as their own service, with their own slots, and say in the description that you'll send the video link after booking. Clients then choose the format that suits them on your page. If you book the follow-up yourself, choose the service that matches the format you've agreed.
Slots of different services can overlap, and a booking on one doesn't block the other at the same time. Decide when you do video and when you see clients in person, for example video at the end of the day, rather than opening both over the same hours.
Plan around holidays and difficult periods
Holidays, end-of-year celebrations and summer breaks can disrupt eating habits and schedules. Follow-ups planned in those weeks are also easy to cancel. Talk about them in advance: book a follow-up just before the break to prepare, and one soon after to get back on track. If you're away yourself, stop your repeating slots at the start of your leave and restart them when you're back, so nobody books a date you can't honour.
When a client stops booking
Some clients will miss a follow-up and not book again. Coming back after a gap can feel embarrassing, especially if things haven't gone to plan. A short, friendly message a week or two after a missed date can help: no judgement, just an invitation to pick a new time on your page.
Keep your own list of clients in active follow-up and check it once a month. Book doesn't track care plans or send reminders; it handles the bookings themselves.
- Send your own reminder the day before a follow-up if you want clients to have one.
- Reschedule or cancel from your bookings list, and tell the client yourself: Book doesn't email them when you change a booking.
- Clients who book on their own receive a confirmation email; you receive an email for each new booking.
Leave room for new clients
A full calendar of follow-ups is good news, until a new client can't find a first consultation for weeks. Keep the first consultation as its own service, decide how many of those slots you open each week, and don't use them for follow-ups. If they fill up regularly, it may be time to add hours or review how you space follow-ups.
How do I stop clients drifting between follow-ups?
Can I offer video follow-ups on the same page?
Does Book send reminders for follow-ups?
- Online booking for dietitians — €5/month | Book
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