CAREFUL

Using the Main Menu

Introduction

The main menu is your primary navigation tool in CAREFUL, providing quick access to all key sections of the platform. The menu adapts to your screen size and user role, ensuring you can efficiently navigate between patients, teams, actions, and organizational settings.

Before You Start

No special permissions required. All users have access to the main menu, though the specific menu items you see will depend on your role (clinical user or system administrator).

Understanding the Menu Layout

Desktop View

On desktop computers and laptops, the main menu appears as a sidebar on the left side of the screen. The sidebar is always visible and displays:

  • Your profile photo, name, and duty status at the top
  • Navigation menu items in the middle
  • An Add Patient button at the bottom (for clinical users)
  • A toggle button to collapse or expand the sidebar

Mobile and Tablet View

On smaller screens, the main menu is accessed differently:

  • A bottom navigation bar appears at the bottom of the screen
  • The hamburger menu icon (☰) in the bottom bar opens the full sidebar
  • The sidebar slides in from the left as an overlay
  • Quick-access shortcuts appear in the bottom bar

Using the Menu on Desktop

  1. Locate the menu item you want to access in the left sidebar
  2. Click the menu item (e.g., My Patients)
  3. The current page is highlighted with a blue indicator
  4. The main content area updates to show the selected section

Expanding the Teams Section

The Teams menu item works as an expandable accordion:

  1. Click Teams in the sidebar
  2. The section expands to show All teams plus a list of your individual teams
  3. Team badges display notification counts:
    • Orange badge: Pending referrals waiting for your team
    • Blue badge: Unread chat messages
    • Red dot: Unread mentions in team chat
  4. Click any team name to view that team's page
  5. Click Teams again to collapse the section

Collapsing the Sidebar

To maximize screen space for content:

  1. Click the toggle button at the top of the sidebar (hamburger icon when collapsed, cross icon when expanded)
  2. The sidebar collapses to show only icons
  3. Hover over icons to see tooltips with menu item names
  4. Click the toggle button again to expand the sidebar to full width

Understanding Badge Notifications

Several menu items display notification badges:

  • My Actions: Red badge shows the number of overdue actions assigned to you
  • Handovers: Blue badge shows received handovers waiting for your response
  • Team names: Orange badges show pending referrals, blue badges show unread messages

Using the Menu on Mobile and Tablet

Opening the Menu

  1. Tap the hamburger menu icon (☰) in the bottom navigation bar
  2. The sidebar slides in from the left
  3. A semi-transparent overlay appears behind the sidebar
  1. With the sidebar open, tap any menu item
  2. The sidebar automatically closes after your selection
  3. The main content area updates to show the selected section

Closing the Menu

You can close the sidebar by:

  • Tapping anywhere on the semi-transparent overlay behind the sidebar
  • Tapping a navigation link (the sidebar closes automatically)

Using Quick Navigation

The bottom navigation bar provides direct access to frequently used sections without opening the full sidebar:

  • My Organisation: Office building icon
  • My Profile: Person icon
  • My Patients: People icon
  • Help: Question mark icon

Menu Items Explained

For Clinical Users (Organization Users)

  1. My Organization: View and manage your organization's settings, members, and patients (administrators see additional options)
  2. My Patients: See all patients across your teams where you're assigned or responsible
  3. Teams: Access the list of all your teams, or click individual team names to view specific team pages
  4. My Actions: View all actions assigned to you, with overdue items highlighted
  5. Handovers: Manage incoming and outgoing handovers for your patients
  6. Help: Opens the CAREFUL support documentation in a new browser tab
  7. Log Out: Sign out of your account and return to the login page

For System Administrators

  1. Organisations: View and manage all organizations in the system
  2. Help: Opens the CAREFUL support documentation
  3. Log Out: Sign out of your account

Tips

  • Watch the badges: Notification badges on menu items help you quickly see where action is needed without opening each section
  • Keyboard shortcuts: On desktop, you can use keyboard shortcuts to navigate (if configured in your settings)
  • Responsive design: The menu automatically adapts when you resize your browser window or rotate your mobile device
  • Profile quick access: Click your profile photo or name at the top of the sidebar to view your user profile and settings
  • On-duty status: Your duty status ("On Duty" or "Off Duty") is visible in the sidebar profile section, making it easy for colleagues to see your availability
  • Team colors: Each team in the Teams accordion has a unique color-coded badge to help you quickly identify teams at a glance

Related Features

  • User Profile - Manage your personal settings and duty status
  • My Organization - Configure your organization settings
  • Teams - Learn about team management and collaboration

Need more help?

Our support team is happy to help with any questions about this topic.

Email support about this page