We ran into an issue today that highlighted what feels like a massive gap in the workflow, so I wanted to share it here as both a question and a feature suggestion.
A patient was completing their NHS PR on the tablet, but unfortunately the tablet crashed mid-process. As a result, the signature didn’t save and the PR form no longer appeared as an option on the tablet for the patient to complete.
Support advised two possible workarounds:
1️⃣ Ask the patient to complete a paper PR and upload it (!!! - I was quite taken aback when a paper form was suggested. We invest in software precisely to avoid reverting to manual, paper-based processes. )
2️⃣ Create a brand new treatment plan (with no completed items) plus a “temporary” appointment, link them together, and generate a new PR form that way
Apparently the invalidate option removes the form but doesn’t prompt a new one.
While I appreciate the suggested workarounds, neither feels ideal:
-
Going back to paper isn’t something we want to do - it’s been around 10 years since we last relied on paper PR forms.
-
Creating unnecessary treatment plans just to trigger a form adds admin complexity and risks confusion in the patient record. For this patient, it means keeping a placeholder plan open until their March appointment when we can hopefully obtain the signature.
It really feels like Dentally should have a straightforward “Reissue PR Form” option for situations where a signature capture fails due to a technical issue.
