Appointment Management
APPOINTMENT_MANAGEMENT.md
Appointment Management
The Appointments section lets you schedule, view, and manage patient appointments. It supports multiple view modes, walk-in handling, and real-time queue integration.
Viewing Appointments
Go to Appointments in the sidebar. Three view modes are available:
| View | Description |
|---|---|
| Calendar | Visual monthly/weekly/daily calendar of all appointments |
| List | Tabular list of appointments with filters |
| Queue | Live patient queue tied to today's appointments |
Switch between views using the tabs at the top of the page.
Filtering the List View
| Filter | Description |
|---|---|
| Date range | Show appointments within specific dates |
| Doctor | Filter by an assigned doctor |
| Room | Filter by examination room |
| Status | Filter by appointment status |
Appointment Statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pending | Created but not yet confirmed |
| Scheduled | Confirmed and on the calendar |
| Confirmed | Patient has confirmed attendance |
| Rescheduled | Appointment moved to a new time |
| Completed | Patient was seen; visit is done |
| No-show | Patient did not attend |
| Cancelled | Appointment was cancelled |
Scheduling a New Appointment
- Click New Appointment (top-right of the Appointments page).
- Fill in the form:
Required Fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Patient | Search and select the patient (must be registered first) |
| Doctor | Select the attending doctor |
| Date | Pick the appointment date |
| Time | Pick the start time |
Optional Fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Room | Assign an examination room |
| Duration | Appointment length in minutes (defaults to clinic setting) |
| Reason | Brief reason for the visit |
| Notes | Internal notes visible to clinical staff |
- Click Save to create the appointment.
An appointment code (APT-######) is generated automatically.
Walk-in Appointments
Walk-in patients skip the scheduling step and are added directly to the queue.
- Go to Appointments → New Appointment and enable the Walk-in toggle, or go to Queue → Add to Queue.
- Select or register the patient.
- Select a doctor (optional for unassigned walk-ins).
- The patient is added to the queue and assigned a queue number automatically.
Editing an Appointment
- Click the appointment in the list or calendar to open it.
- Click Edit.
- Modify the date, time, doctor, room, or notes.
- Click Save.
Changing the date or time automatically updates the status to Rescheduled.
Cancelling or Marking No-show
- Open the appointment.
- Click the Status dropdown.
- Select Cancelled or No-show.
- Confirm.
Cancelled appointments remain in the system for audit purposes.
Appointment Reminders
If email is configured in Settings → Notifications, patients with an email address automatically receive:
- A confirmation email when the appointment is created.
- A reminder email before the appointment date.
Tips
- Use the Calendar view to spot scheduling gaps and avoid overbooking.
- The default appointment duration (e.g., 30 minutes) is set in Settings → Appointments.
- Walk-ins automatically receive a queue number. The queue page shows estimated wait times.
- Appointments marked Completed are linked to the patient's visit record.