Skip to main content
Version: 3.1

Schedule & Availability

Definition

A schedule in Care records when a resource can be booked at a facility. The resource is a practitioner, a location, or a healthcare service. Each schedule holds one or more availability sessions. A session states the days of the week, the start time and the end time when the resource is available.

Care creates bookable slots from the schedule. Staff and patients book appointments against these slots.

Key Attributes

ComponentsWhat it captures
Template NameThe name of the schedule template. This is required.
Valid FromThe first date that the schedule applies. This is required.
Valid TillThe last date that the schedule applies. This is required.
ResourceThe practitioner, location, or healthcare service that the schedule belongs to.
Availability sessionsOne or more sessions. Each session holds a session title, a slot type, the days of the week, a start time and an end time.
PublicWhether patients can see the schedule and book against it. A private schedule shows the message "This schedule is private".

Resource types

A schedule belongs to one of these resource types:

Resource typeWhat it schedules
PractitionerA user, for example a doctor or a nurse.
LocationA place inside the facility, for example a consultation room.
Healthcare ServiceA service that the facility offers.

A facility holds only one schedulable resource for each practitioner, each location, and each healthcare service.

Availability sessions

Each session in a schedule holds these values:

ComponentWhat it captures
Session TitleThe name of the session, for example "IP Rounds". This is required.
Slot typeAppointment Slot, Open, or Closed. This is required.
Days of the weekThe days that the session repeats. You select at least one day.
Start time and end timeThe time range of the session on each selected day. The start time must be earlier than the end time.
Slot size in minutesThe length of one slot. This is required for an appointment slot.
Tokens per slotThe number of patients that Care books into one slot. This is required for an appointment slot.
ReasonFree text that explains the session. This is optional.

Slot types

Slot typeWhat it means
Appointment SlotCare divides the session into slots of a fixed size. Patients book a specific slot.
OpenThe resource is available for the whole session, and Care does not divide the session into slots.
ClosedThe resource is not available for booking during the session.

Validation rules

  • The Valid From date must not be in the past.
  • The Valid From date must not be later than the Valid Till date.
  • The start time of a session must be earlier than its end time.
  • Sessions in a schedule must not overlap.
  • For an appointment slot, the length of the session must be a multiple of the slot size in minutes.
  • For an appointment slot, the number of slots in one session must not be more than the limit that your deployment sets.

Permissions

PermissionWhat it allows
Can Create on ScheduleCreate and change schedules and their sessions.
Can list schedule on ObjectSee the schedules of a resource.

Configuration

The maximum number of slots in one availability session depends on your deployment's configuration.