Offline mode
The steps below match the shipped screens. Screenshots are added with the R1 guides.
Purpose
Tier-2/3 clinics lose connectivity for minutes at a time. Achal Healthcare keeps a small, bounded set of tasks working through those outages and syncs them automatically when the connection returns. The server always stays the source of truth (token numbers, UHIDs, signatures).
What works offline
| Task | Offline behaviour |
|---|---|
| Clinical note autosave (a document already open in the editor) | Every change is saved on this device (encrypted) and sent when you are back online. Signing needs a connection — the Sign button explains why. |
| Walk-in token (Queue board) | The token request is saved and issued automatically when the connection returns; you get a notification with the token number. |
| Patient registration (new patient) | The form is saved on this device and restored if the page reloads. Submit again once you are online — the UHID is assigned by the server and duplicate checks run then. |
Everything else (lists, reports, billing, opening a document you have not opened yet) needs a connection.
Install the app
- Chrome / Edge (desktop or Android): open Achal Healthcare, then use Install app in the address bar or browser menu.
- iPhone / iPad (Safari): Share → Add to Home Screen.
The installed app opens straight into your workspace. When an update is available a banner shows "A new version of Achal Healthcare is available — Reload"; finish what you are typing, then click Reload.
The offline indicator
The header shows the sync state only when something needs attention:
| Indicator | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Offline — 3 changes waiting | No connection; 3 changes are saved on this device. |
| Syncing 3 changes… | Back online; changes are being sent. |
| 2 changes need attention | The server could not accept a change (see below). |
| 3 offline changes locked — reconnect to sync | The page was reloaded while offline; changes are safe but can only be read after the app reconnects and confirms your session. |
| Sign in again to sync offline changes | Your session expired; sign in (as the same user) and syncing resumes. |
Click the indicator to see every saved change.
When someone else changed the same note
If another user edited the note while you were offline, the change is marked Changed elsewhere. Choose:
- Keep mine — your version is saved over the newer server version;
- Use server version — your offline change is discarded;
- Keep both — your version stays on this device; open the document to compare field by field and pick the values you want (they are highlighted until you confirm them).
A change the server rejects for another reason (for example a validation error) shows Could not be saved with Retry and Discard. While a note has such a change, the editor shows a red banner and signing is blocked until you retry or discard it.
Privacy and security
- Offline data is encrypted on the device (AES-256-GCM). The key is derived from your current login session and exists only in memory; a copied browser profile cannot read it.
- Signing out or switching workspace deletes all offline data on the device. If changes have not synced yet, you are asked first: Sync now, Sign out and delete, or Stay signed in; closing the tab also asks for confirmation.
- If your session ended with changes still on the device (for example the tab was closed offline for more than a day), the app tells you how many could not be synced before removing them.
- Changes that could not be synced within 24 hours are removed and you are told how many.
- Offline data expires after 24 hours.
- Sensitive records are never stored offline: restricted records, restricted (VIP / psychiatry / HIV / employee health) patients and psychiatry & psychology notes. If you lose the connection while editing one, keep the page open until you are back online.
- Nothing from the server (patient lists, documents, reports) is cached by the app's service worker.
Limitations
- A document must already be open in the editor before the connection drops.
- If the browser blocks storage (private/incognito mode), offline changes last only while the tab stays open.
- Offline changes from one login session are deleted when a different user signs in on the same device.