What are Notes?

Introduction

Notes in CAREFUL are progress updates that you add to patient actions. They create a timestamped record of what's happening with a task, allowing your team to track progress, communicate updates, and maintain a complete audit trail of care activities.

Before You Start

No special permissions required. Any team member can add notes to actions they can view.

What Notes Include

Each note contains:

• Update text: Your progress comment or status update
• Timestamp: Automatically recorded when you add the note
• Author: Your name is attached to show who made the update
• Attachments (optional): Files, photos, or documents related to the update

When to Use Notes

Add a note to an action when you:

• Complete part of a task
• Encounter a problem or delay
• Need to communicate progress to colleagues
• Document clinical observations related to the task
• Attach supporting documentation (lab results, images, forms)

How to Add a Note

1. Navigate to an action from your My Actions list, a patient view, or your team's action list
2. Click the action menu (⋮) and select Update Progress
3. The update dialog opens, showing any Previous updates from your colleagues
4. Type your update in the New update field
5. (Optional) Add files under Attachments by clicking the upload button
6. Click Submit

The dialog closes automatically and your note is saved. Your colleagues will see it the next time they view this action.

Viewing Previous Notes

When you open the update dialog, all previous notes appear in chronological order under Previous updates. Each shows:

• The note content
• When it was added (date and time)
• Who added it

This gives you the complete history of progress on that action.

Tips

• Be specific: Instead of "Patient seen", write "Patient reviewed - pain controlled, awaiting scan results"
• Use attachments: Photo documentation, consent forms, and lab results provide important context
• Update regularly: Notes help your team coordinate, especially during handovers
• Notes are permanent: Once submitted, they become part of the audit trail and cannot be edited or deleted

Related Features

• What are Actions? - Learn about creating and managing patient actions
• How to Close an Action - Complete tasks when they're finished
• Understanding Handovers - Transfer patient responsibility between staff