Motivated Mondays: Why the start of the week is popular for healthcare
5 min read
Lucy MacKinnon
Are Mondays really the worst day for healthcare appointments—or the best? While some research claims early-week consultations are more likely to be missed, Releaf’s latest data tells a different story. From booking patterns to attendance rates and prescription orders, we explore why Mondays might just be the most proactive day in medical cannabis care.
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You might need an extra coffee (or two) to get started after a well-deserved weekend break, but let’s be honest: there’s something about the start of the week that feels full of potential.
Monday’s are often filled with motivation and optimism for what the week has in store, and there is research to suggest that the start of the week is the most popular time for healthcare appointments, which supports this ideology.
However, there’s also evidence that paints a different picture.
In 2022, researchers from The University of York, Bath, and London School of Economics and Political Science, discovered Monday appointments are more likely to be rescheduled, or result in a ‘no show’.
Why?
Researchers say it's down to ‘Monday Blues’.
So, we decided to dig into our own data, and see what appointment trends exist in the world of medical cannabis at Releaf.
What is the most popular day for medical cannabis consultations?
When we looked at appointment data and booking behaviours at Releaf, Wednesdays tend to see the highest volume of bookings. However, when we zoom in at specific time slots, a different pattern emerges.
A data scrape from the first of May found the most popular day and time combinations for appointments with Releaf doctors are:
- Monday at 10am
- Monday at 11am
- Monday at 9am
- Tuesday at 9am
- Tuesday at 10am
These figures support the argument that at the start of the week, adults in the UK are most eager to start a new healthcare journey, or treatment - especially on Monday and Tuesday mornings.
When are people most likely to attend doctor's appointments?
While Wednesday’s have proven to be popular when booking consultations, when it comes to attending consultations, ‘hump day’, AKA Wednesday, actually has the lowest attendance rate during the week.
So, ‘What day has the highest attendance rate?’ you may be wondering.
The answer is Monday, followed by Tuesday, Friday, and then Thursday.
And, ‘when is the lowest?’
Our findings suggest it’s Sunday, followed by Saturday, and finally, Wednesday.
And while it was a surprise to see Wednesday performing worse than any other weekday in terms of attendance, our findings go against those of the University of York, Bath, and London School of Economics and Political Science when it comes to ‘Monday Blues’.
And it appears time of day makes a difference too.
The most common time to attend appointments
When we looked at the difference in attendance rates pre and post 12 o’clock, we found that statistically attendance rates for appointments with our clinical team are always better in the morning, with Tuesday slots at 9am having the highest attendance overall.
But we were keen to learn more - so we also had a look at sign-up and prescription ordering patterns.
When are people most likely to engage in a new healthcare journey?
Unsurprisingly to us, Mondays again rank at the top, proving to be the most popular day to sign up to Releaf. This is closely followed by Sunday, and then Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the most popular day for ordering medication prescribed through Releaf is a Wednesday, with just over one in four ordering their medication mid-week, followed by Tuesday for almost one in five, and then Thursday for 18% of patients.
This prescription ordering dataset suggests that people are more likely to take care of their health admin once they’re into the swing of the week, after their prescriptions have been released following MDT approval.
So, what does this tell us about medical cannabis patients?
These findings suggest that those using medical cannabis are more likely to act early in the week and take a proactive approach, with Mondays and Tuesdays feeling full of possibility.
So, Monday Blues?
More like Monday Moves!
Motivated Mondays: The start of something new
So, what makes Mondays so full of motivation?
Maybe it's the fresh start, or the mental reset after the weekend.
For many at Releaf, Monday doesn’t just represent a new week, it represents a new journey, one where they take control of their health, and seek out new possibilities.
From sign-ups, appointment bookings, and prescription orderings, Releaf’s community is clearly enthusiastic early in the week, and individuals aren’t just thinking about their health and wellbeing - they’re doing something about it.
If you too would like to start off a new journey this week, use our fast and free eligibility checker to discover whether medical cannabis may be suitable for you. Nine out of ten of those who meet with our doctors are prescribed cannabis-based medicines, and our money-back guarantee on initial consultations makes it ‘risk free’.
Start your week with a purpose. Book a consultation with Releaf today.
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It is important to seek medical advice before starting any new treatments. The patient advisors at Releaf are available to provide expert advice and support. Alternatively, click here to book a consultation with one of our specialist doctors.
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With five years of journalism and healthcare content creation under her belt, Lucy strives to improve medical cannabis awareness and access in the UK by producing high quality, credible content.
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