Opening a case from the queue or patient profile

What this does

Opening a case starts a new medical encounter for a patient. It links the case to a patient, records the admission date and time, and creates a blank clinical record where your staff can add vital signs, diagnoses, treatment notes, and services. You can open a case from a queued patient (checked in and waiting) or directly from a patient's profile if they arrive without a queue.

Before you start

• Required permissions: You must have permission to create cases in your ward or department. Ask your administrator if you are not sure.
• Patient in Usystems: The patient must already exist as a contact in Usystems (Name, phone number).
• Queue (if applicable): If the patient arrived and was checked in to a queue (given a queue token), their token will be ready. If not, you can open a case directly from the patient's profile.
• Correct ward/department selected: Your system should remember which ward (OPD, IPD, Emergency, etc.) you are working in, or allow you to select it at case creation.

Steps

Option 1: Open a case from a queue token

1. Go to Queues and find the queue for your ward.
   Open Queues in Usystems

2. Look for the patient's name in the queue list. You will see their token ID, check-in time, and status.

3. Click the patient's row or the token to open details.

4. Look for the Open case button or link on the queue token view.

5. A case form will open, pre-filled with the patient's name, contact details, and the current date/time as admission date. Review and confirm the ward/department is correct.

6. (Optional) If your ward has custom fields, fill them in now—for example, Chief complaint, Referral source, Attending doctor.

7. Click Create case (or the equivalent button).

A new case is now open for this patient. You can begin recording vital signs and clinical notes.

Option 2: Open a case directly from the patient's profile

1. Go to Patients (or Contacts) and search for the patient's name.
   Open Patients in Usystems

2. Click the patient's name to open their profile.

3. On the profile, look for a New case button or link (often in a top menu or a cases section).

4. A case form will open, pre-filled with the patient's basic details. The admission date/time will be set to now.

5. Select the Ward or Department (OPD, IPD, Emergency, etc.) if prompted. This determines which custom fields and workflows apply.

6. Fill in any required or helpful fields—Chief complaint, Admission reason, Attending doctor, etc.

7. Click Create case (or the equivalent button).

The case is now open and linked to the patient's profile.

Option 3: Open a case from Medical Cases list (if no queue or direct admission)

1. Go to Medical Cases in the main menu.
   Open Medical Cases in Usystems

2. Click New case (or a + button).

3. A case creation form will open. You will need to:

   • Select the patient (search by name or ID)
   • Select the ward/department (OPD, IPD, Emergency, etc.)
   • Confirm the admission date/time (defaults to now)
   • Fill in custom fields as needed

4. Click Create case.

Clinical impact

Opening a case does not automatically create any financial charges. However, any services, procedures, or prescriptions you record in the case may be configured to generate charges or billing entries, depending on your ward's setup. Always check with your manager about which actions trigger costs.

Tips & common mistakes

• Patient not in queue? That is fine. You can still open a case directly from the patient's profile or the Medical Cases list. Queuing is optional.
• Admission time. The system defaults to the current date and time. If the patient arrived at a different time, ask your manager how to adjust it (some systems allow you to edit the time retroactively; others do not).
• Ward/department. Choosing the correct ward is important because it controls which custom fields appear and which clinical workflows are available. Double-check before creating.
• Patient already has an open case? Some wards do not allow two concurrent cases for the same patient. If you cannot create a new case, check whether one is already open and either close it or add to it instead.

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