How to Add a New Organisational Field

Organisational fields allow you to capture custom patient information specific to your organisation's needs. You can add fields for any additional data you want to track -- such as ward names, bed numbers, admission dates, or clinical scores -- and choose the appropriate field type (text, number, date/time, or yes/no).

Permissions required: You must be an Organisation Administrator to add, edit, or manage organisational fields. Team Owners and Clinical Users cannot access this feature.

If you don't see the option to edit organisational fields, contact your organisation administrator to request admin access.

Opening the Organisational Fields Manager

1. From the sidebar, click My Organization
2. You'll arrive at the Organisation view showing all patients in your organisation
3. Click the kebab menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the screen
4. Select Edit Organization Patient Fields from the dropdown menu
5. The Edit Organization Fields dialog opens, displaying your existing fields

Adding a New Field

1. Scroll to the bottom of the dialog to find the "New field" section
2. Enter the field name in the text input box (for example: "Admission Date" or "Risk Score")
3. Select the field type from the dropdown menu:
   • Text -- for free-text entries such as ward names, notes, or identifiers
   • Number -- for numeric values such as scores, measurements, or counts
   • Date Time -- for dates and times such as admission dates or appointment times
   • Boolean -- for yes/no questions such as "High Risk?" or "Consent Given?"
4. Click the plus icon (➕) button to add the field
5. The new field appears in the list above, and the input fields clear ready for another entry

What happens next: The new field is immediately available when viewing or editing patient records. All users in your organisation can now fill in this field for their patients.

Editing an Existing Field

If you need to change a field's name or type after creating it:

1. Find the field in the list at the top of the dialog
2. To rename the field: Click in the field name text area and type the new name
3. To change the field type: Use the dropdown menu to select a different type
4. Click the checkmark icon (✓) to save your changes
5. Or click the cross icon (✕) to cancel and discard your edits

Important: You can only edit one field at a time. While editing a field, the "New field" section and other fields are disabled.

Hiding or Showing a Field

If you no longer need a field but want to preserve existing patient data:

1. Find the field in the list
2. Click the visibility toggle next to the field name
   • Visible -- the field appears in patient forms and can be filled in
   • Hidden -- the field is hidden from patient forms but existing data is preserved
3. Changes save immediately (no confirmation needed)

Note: Hidden fields are never deleted. All patient data entered in that field remains in the system, and you can make the field visible again at any time by toggling it back to "Visible".

Reordering Fields

The order of fields in this list determines the order they appear in patient forms:

1. Click and hold the move icon (⋮⋮) on the left side of a field
2. Drag the field up or down to your preferred position
3. Release to drop it in the new location
4. The new order saves automatically

Visual feedback: During dragging, the field's background turns cyan, and drop zones are highlighted in light grey.

Closing the Dialog

When you're finished managing fields:

• Click the X in the top-right corner of the dialog, or
• Click outside the dialog area

Any unsaved edits to field names or types will be lost, but fields you've already added, hidden, or reordered are permanently saved.

Field name validation: Field names cannot be empty. The add button is disabled until you enter a name.

Server-side validation errors may appear if:

• The field name already exists (duplicate name)
• The field name contains invalid characters
• The field name is too long

When a validation error occurs:

• For new fields: An error message with a red notification icon (🔔) appears below the field name input
• For field edits: An error message with a yellow warning icon (⚠️) appears next to the edited field

Read the error message, correct the issue, and resubmit.

After successfully adding or editing a field, check the Log tab in the Organisation view to see the audit trail:

• Organisation Field Added to Organisation -- shows the new field name and type
• Organisation Field Updated -- shows the changed field name or type
• Organisation Field Hidden -- confirms a field was hidden
• Organisation Field made Visible -- confirms a field was restored

Choose the right field type from the start. While you can change a field's type later by editing it, it's best to select the correct type upfront to ensure patient data is captured properly.

Use clear, descriptive field names. Avoid abbreviations or codes that other users might not understand. For example, use "Admission Date" instead of "AdmDt" or "Date1".

Keep field names concise. Long field names can clutter patient forms. Aim for 2-4 words maximum.

Use hiding instead of deleting. If you're unsure whether you'll need a field again, hide it rather than leaving it visible. You can always restore it later, and all patient data remains safe.

Group related fields together. Use drag-and-drop reordering to place related fields near each other in forms (for example, group all admission-related fields together).

Consider seasonal or temporary fields. If you need a field only during certain periods (such as "Flu Vaccination Status" during winter), create it when needed and hide it when the period ends.

"I don't see the kebab menu"
You are not an organisation administrator. Only admins can manage organisational fields. Contact your organisation administrator to request admin access if you need this capability.

"The plus button is disabled"
This happens for two reasons:

1. The field name is empty -- enter a field name first
2. You're currently editing another field -- save or cancel that edit first by clicking the checkmark (✓) or cross (✕) icon

"I get a validation error when trying to add a field"
Common causes include:

• The field name already exists (you cannot have duplicate field names)
• The field name contains special characters that aren't allowed
• The field name is too long

Read the error message below the input box and adjust the field name accordingly.

"I accidentally hid a field -- how do I get it back?"
Find the field in the list (hidden fields are still shown in the Edit Organization Fields dialog) and toggle the visibility switch back to "Visible". All the patient data is still there.

"Can I delete a field permanently?"
No. Fields can only be hidden, not deleted. This is by design to protect patient data -- even if you no longer need the field, the data already entered is preserved for audit and compliance purposes.