Understanding Phone Numbers in CAREFUL

Introduction

CAREFUL uses two different phone numbers for different purposes: your login phone number for secure authentication, and your contact number (also called a bleeper number) for team communication while you're on duty. Understanding this distinction helps you maintain security while staying reachable during clinical work.

Before You Start

No special permissions required. All users can view and update both their login phone number and contact number from their user profile.

What's the Difference?

Login Phone Number (Cell/Mobile Number)

• Used to log into CAREFUL with your password
• Remains private and confidential - never shown to other users
• Requires SMS verification when changed
• Displayed as a masked number (e.g., +44*********123) in admin views
• Identified with a 📱 mobile icon in member tables

Contact Number (Bleeper Number)

• Used by team members to reach you while on duty
• Visible to everyone in your organization
• Can be your personal phone, a pager, group phone, or switchboard number
• Does not require verification - simple confirmation only
• Identified with a 🔔 bell icon in member tables

Changing Your Login Phone Number

1. From any screen, click your name in the top-right corner to access your profile
2. Click the kebab menu (⋮) in the top-right of your profile
3. Select "Change Cell/Mobile number" from the dropdown
4. In the dialog that appears, enter your new phone number using the country code selector
5. Click "Submit"
6. Check your phone for an SMS verification link
7. Click the verification link to complete the change

Note: Until you verify the new number, your old login phone number remains active. The new number shows as "Pending" in the system.

Updating Your Contact Number

Your contact number is verified automatically when you toggle yourself on duty:

1. Navigate to your User Profile
2. Toggle the "On duty" switch to ON
3. A "Verify contact number" dialog appears with the message: "Confirm your contact/bleeper number below. Team members can use this to reach you while On Duty."
4. Review or edit your contact number in the text field
5. Click "Confirm" to save, or "Cancel" to keep your previous number
6. Your duty status changes to ON and your contact number is updated

Important: This dialog appears each time you go on duty, allowing you to update your contact number as needed (e.g., if you're covering a different ward or using a different phone).

Viewing Phone Numbers in Member Tables

When viewing team members or organization users, you'll see both phone numbers displayed:

• 🔔 Contact number: Shown in full, visible to all users
• 📱 Login phone: Partially masked for privacy (e.g., +44*********123)

If a phone number change is pending verification, you'll see "(Pending change to...)" beneath the current number.

Tips

• Use different numbers: Consider using your personal mobile for login and a ward phone/pager as your contact number
• Update contact number frequently: If you move between wards or cover different areas, update your contact number when going on duty
• Protect your login number: Your login phone number is private - the system never displays it in full to other users
• Handle pending changes: If you have a pending mobile number change, you can cancel it from the profile kebab menu by selecting "Cancel Pending Cell/Mobile Request"
• Verification required: Only login phone numbers require SMS verification; contact numbers are updated immediately

Related Features

• Managing Your User Profile: Learn how to update your personal information and preferences
• Setting Yourself On Duty or Off Duty: Understand how duty status affects handovers and visibility
• Admin: Managing Organization Members: How administrators can view and manage user phone numbers