You collect health answers and photos safely by asking for them through a private link that belongs to your clinic, not through social direct messages or email attachments, and by asking the health questions and taking consent before anything is booked. That keeps sensitive information in one place and under your control.
I will describe the flow as we built it, say where the limits are, and give you a checklist. This is not legal advice, and I point to our security page for what we do and do not say about patient data.
Why not collect photos in direct messages?
Because they scatter sensitive information across personal accounts, phones and platforms you do not control. A photo sent in a social message lives in someone's app, and your clinic has no clean way to find it later, restrict who sees it or delete it when asked.
Our product line is plain about it: photos by private link, never Instagram DMs. Our security page says the same thing in other words: patients send photos and health answers by private link, not by direct messages or email attachments.
What does a safer enquiry flow look like?
- 1The enquiry arrives by form, chat or message.
- 2The first reply answers it and asks the health questions your practitioner needs.
- 3Consent is taken before the consultation is confirmed.
- 4The patient uploads photos through a private link in your clinic's name.
- 5Everything lands on one record that your team can see before the consultation.
The order matters. Health questions and consent come first, then photos, then the booking. A booking made before the history is in leaves your practitioner meeting a patient they know nothing about.
Which health questions should you ask?
The ones your practitioner asks for. I am not a clinician and I will not write a clinical questionnaire. In Conduit the system collects the history and photos your practitioner asks for, and your clinical team sets the content. That keeps clinical decisions with clinicians.
What I can say as a builder is to keep the first form short, because a long form at the first touch can put people off, and to make the rest part of the consultation. Ask what you need to book safely, and ask the rest in the room.
Where does the data go and who owns it?
You own it. Our security page says patient and clinic data is held in Sydney, Australia (Supabase on Amazon Web Services), that the website runs on Vercel, and that only your clinic's users and our team, to set up and support your account, can see it. We do not sell patient data or use it for advertising.
On the law, the page says health information is sensitive information under the Privacy Act 1988, and that we handle personal information in line with the Australian Privacy Principles. It is a plain summary, not a contract, and your service agreement sets the final terms. Read it before you rely on it, and ask your own adviser about your obligations.
What happens if a patient asks you to delete their data?
You need a way to do it. Our page says: ask and we delete your clinic's data or hand it back, at any time, not only when you leave. Whatever tool you use, check that you can answer a deletion request without hunting through three inboxes and a phone camera roll.
This is another reason to keep photos out of direct messages. A single record with a clear owner is far easier to correct or delete than copies scattered across personal accounts.
What should the reply say about privacy?
Keep it short and plain: what you are collecting, why, and who will see it. Avoid reassurance that overpromises, such as saying the data can never be accessed by anyone. Say what you actually do.
The reply is also advertising-adjacent text, so it follows the same wording rules as your website: no offers, no medicine names, no promises about results. A privacy line that is honest and short fits those rules naturally.
What are the limits of a private link?
A private link is safer than a direct message, but it is not magic. A link can be forwarded, a phone can be shared, and a patient can still send a photo some other way if they prefer. The flow reduces the problem and makes the preferred route obvious. It does not remove human behaviour.
So say plainly, in the first reply, where to send things and why. How quickly that first reply arrives is its own question, covered in how fast a clinic should reply. Most patients are glad to be told. And have a rule for what staff do when a photo arrives in the wrong place: move it into the record, delete the original and tell the patient where to send things next time.
What is a checklist you can use today?
- Stop asking for photos in social direct messages
- Use a private link or an upload form owned by your clinic
- Ask health questions and take consent before confirming the booking
- Keep the first form short and ask the rest at the consultation
- Know where the data sits and who can see it
- Have a documented way to delete a patient's data on request
If you want to see this flow on your own clinic, book a demo. We run a test enquiry through the system so you can see each step, and you decide if it fits. The Grow plan, at A$697 a month, includes the health form, photos, booking and deposit link, and you can read the rest on the pricing page.