Appointment Scheduling

Overview

Appointment Scheduling is the core workflow for receptionists in SehaFile. It allows you to book a patient with a specific doctor on a chosen date and time slot. The system checks doctor availability in real-time and prevents double-booking. Each appointment records the patient, doctor, date, start/end time, duration (default 30 minutes), appointment type, and optional notes.

How to Book an Appointment

1. Open the Appointments Page — From the sidebar, click Appointments. You will see the appointment list. Click the + New Appointment button in the top right corner.
2. Select the Patient — In the patient search field, start typing the patient's name or National ID. Select the correct patient from the autocomplete dropdown. If the patient is new, register them first via Patients > New Patient.
3. Select the Doctor — Choose from the list of active doctors in your clinic. The doctor dropdown shows name and specialty.
4. Choose the Date — Use the date picker to select the appointment date. Once selected, the system calls GET /appointments/slots?doctor_id=...&date=... to fetch available time slots.
5. Pick a Time Slot — The Slot Picker displays available times in a 4-column grid. Each slot button shows the start time (e.g., “09:00”, “09:30”). Available slots appear in white with gray borders; the selected slot turns green with white text. If no slots are available, a message reads “No appointments available on this day.”
6. Set Appointment Type — Choose from:
   • first_visit — New patient's first consultation
   • follow_up — Return visit for ongoing treatment
   • consultation — General consultation
   • procedure — Scheduled medical procedure
7. Set Duration (optional) — Default is 30 minutes. Adjust for longer procedures (45, 60 minutes) based on the doctor's instructions.
8. Add Notes (optional) — Include any relevant information such as “Patient requires wheelchair access” or “Insurance pre-approval pending.”
9. Click Book Appointment — The system creates the appointment with status “scheduled” and assigns a queue number. A confirmation appears with the appointment details.

Appointment Statuses

After creation, an appointment goes through these statuses:

• scheduled — Booked but patient has not arrived
• checked_in — Patient has arrived and checked in
• in_progress — Doctor has started the consultation
• completed — Visit finished
• cancelled — Appointment cancelled (with reason)
• no_show — Patient did not arrive

FAQ

Can I book recurring appointments?

Currently, each appointment must be booked individually. For follow-up series, book each one separately using the same patient and doctor.

What happens if I select a date when the doctor is off?

The slot picker will show “No appointments available on this day” if the doctor has no configured working hours for that date.

How far in advance can I book?

There is no system limit on future booking dates, but we recommend booking within the next 3 months for accuracy.