In our system, we have three time zones in which the patient-oriented emails and SMS reminders are sent out:
- USA (UTC-6)
- Europe (UTC+2)
- Asia (UTC+8)
During the registration process, the time zone is set based on the subscriber’s local time. All investigators who registered before March 10, 2022 were assigned to the USA (UTC-6).
Any subscriber can define their own time zone.
Team members will inherit the same time zone as their subscriber.
Please contact your Account Manager to set a preferable time zone for sending emails/SMS to your patients.
The case commencement date settings affect the time that emails and SMS messages are sent.
Commencement date = 0 days
Key items / settings:
- Commencement date = 0 days;
- First survey due = 0 days;
- Investigator and patient are in the same time zone.
Result: All emails, SMS and Benchmarc™ messages which are due will be sent immediately (possible delay of ~10-15 minutes).
Commencement date = 1 day
Key items / settings:
- Commencement date = 1 day;
- First survey due = 0 days;
- Clinician and patient are in the same time zone. Case creation time is 8 AM.
Result: Emails and SMS are sent from 8 AM on the following after the case creation day, Benchmarc™ Home Messages are triggered based on UTC 00:00. When an investigator and a patient have different time zones and the time lapse is great, there are nuances in email and SMS delivery.
E.g., If the case was created in Singapore (UTC+8) and the patient’s time zone is USA (UTC-6), US patients have to wait several hours to receive their notifications.)
Patient Survey Availability on Benchmarc™
Survey availability is based on the patient's local time. Patient-oriented surveys are available on Benchmarc™ beginning at 12 AM on the due date.
When an investigator and a patient are in the same time zone, there is no delay in survey availability from the investigator’s standpoint.