Creating a Patient Appointment

To create a Patient Appointment, go to:

Home → Healthcare → Patient Appointment

From the Appointment List

1. Go to Patient Appointment list
2. Click + Add Patient Appointment
3. Fill in the details:

Field	Description
Patient	Select the patient (auto-populates patient name)
Appointment Type	Choose the type (General, Follow-up, Specialist, etc.)
Practitioner	Select the doctor/practitioner
Department	Medical department (auto-filled from practitioner)
Service Unit	Specific room or location (optional)
Appointment Date	Select the date
Appointment Time	Choose from available time slots
Duration	Auto-filled from appointment type, can be overridden
Referring Practitioner	If the patient was referred by another doctor
Notes	Any additional notes for the appointment

Available Time Slots

When you select a practitioner and date, the system shows available time slots based on:

1. The practitioner's schedule template for that day of the week
2. Any availability overrides for that specific date
3. Time slots already booked by other patients are excluded
4. Buffer time between appointments (if configured)

Block-Based Appointment Booking

Block-based appointment booking allows scheduling appointments for a custom time range instead of selecting predefined time slots. This is useful for longer consultations, therapy sessions, or procedures.

To Create a Block-Based Appointment

Go to:

Home → Healthcare → Patient Appointment

From the Appointment Form

1. Click + Add Patient Appointment
2. Fill basic details (Patient, Practitioner, Date, etc.)
3. Click Check Availability
4. In the availability dialog:
   • Enable Block Booking
   • Select required details

Block Booking Fields

Field	Description
Medical Department	Department linked to the practitioner
Healthcare Practitioner	Selected doctor/practitioner
Date	Appointment date
Service Unit	Room or location for appointment
From Time	Start time of the appointment
To Time	End time of the appointment

How It Works

• Instead of predefined slots, users manually enter From Time and To Time
• The system automatically:
  • Calculates the appointment duration
  • Books the entire time block

Suitable for:

• Therapy sessions
• Long consultations
• Procedures

Validation Rules

The system ensures:

• From Time must be earlier than To Time
• Cannot book past date/time
• No overlapping appointments are allowed

Conflict Detection

Before booking:

• The system checks for:
  • Existing appointments
  • Previously marked unavailable slots

If conflict exists:

• Booking is blocked
• A detailed conflict dialog is shown listing overlapping appointments

Outcome

• A standard Patient Appointment is created
• Duration is based on selected time range
• Appears in:
  • Appointment List
  • Calendar View
• A corresponding calendar event is created for the booked time block

Mark Time as Unavailable

The Mark Unavailable feature allows blocking a practitioner’s schedule for a specific time range. This prevents any appointments from being booked during that period.

To Mark Time as Unavailable

Go to:

Home → Healthcare → Patient Appointment

From the Appointment List

1. Click Mark Unavailable
2. Fill the required details
3. Click Check Conflicts
4. Save the record

Unavailability Fields

Field	Description
Healthcare Practitioner	Practitioner whose schedule is blocked
Date	Date of unavailability
From Time	Start time of unavailability
To Time	End time of unavailability
Reason for Unavailability	Optional reason (e.g., Leave, Emergency)

How It Works

• Blocks selected time range for the practitioner
• Can also be applied to a Service Unit, not just a practitioner

Prevents:

• New bookings
• Slot visibility during appointment creation

Applies across all associated service units.

Conflict Detection

Before saving:

• System checks for existing appointments in the same time range

If conflicts are found:

• Displays a detailed conflict dialog with overlapping appointments
• Prevents saving until resolved

System Behavior

Creates a special Patient Appointment with:

• Appointment Type: Unavailable
• Status: Unavailable

This record:

• Blocks scheduling
• Appears in list and calendar

Visual Indicators

Unavailable slots are:

• Highlighted in red (#ff5858) in Calendar View
• Marked clearly in Appointment List

Cancellation of Unavailability

To remove blocked time:

1. Open the Unavailable record
2. Click Cancel

System will:

• Remove the block
• Restore availability
• Remove the associated calendar event

Key Notes

• Both features use the same conflict detection mechanism
• Block Booking → Creates normal appointments with custom time
• Mark Unavailable → Creates system-blocking entries
• Overlapping bookings are strictly prevented
• Both features are fully integrated with the calendar for real-time visibility