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Not all clinical investigations follow the same path as a blood test. When a patient has an X-ray, an ultrasound, an ECG reading, or a clinical survey, the results need to be stored in a structured format and linked to the patient’s record. The Observations and Diagnostic Reports module handles this. A Diagnostic Report is the final document - like a radiology report or an ECG interpretation. It groups one or more Observations, which are the individual measurements or findings within that report.

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When to Use This Module vs the Laboratory Module

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Before You Start

  • Observation Templates must be set up for each type of observation your clinic records.
  • You need the Healthcare Practitioner or Healthcare Administrator role.
  • Service Requests are used to formally order observations before creating a Diagnostic Report.

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Step 1: Set Up Observation Templates (Admin Task)

An Observation Template defines what a particular type of observation measures.
  1. Go to Healthcare workspace → Diagnostic Module card → Observation Template → New

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Step 2: Create an Observation

Each individual finding is an Observation record.
  1. Go to Healthcare workspace → Diagnostic Module card → Observation → New
Observation form showing patient name, observation template, observation category, result field, and status
  1. Fill in the key fields:
For numeric observations, enter the value in the Result (numeric) field. For text findings (e.g., radiology interpretation), enter in the Result (text) field. For attachments (e.g., scanned report PDF), use Attach Result.
  1. Set the status to Final when the finding is complete
  2. Submit the Observation

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Step 3: Create a Diagnostic Report

A Diagnostic Report groups related observations into a single document - for example, grouping the right lung observation and the left lung observation into one “Chest X-Ray Report.”
  1. Go to Healthcare workspace → Diagnostic Module card → Diagnostic Report → New
Diagnostic Report form showing patient name, practitioner, reference document, status, and linked observations
  1. Fill in the details:
  1. The report links to its individual Observation records automatically through the reference fields
  2. Set the status to Approved once the doctor has reviewed and signed off

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Observation Statuses

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Diagnostic Report Statuses

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Field Guide: Observation

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Field Guide: Diagnostic Report

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Troubleshooting

I cannot find the Diagnostic Module card on the workspace Scroll down the workspace to the second row of cards. The Diagnostic Module card contains Diagnostic Report, Observation, and Observation Template. The result field is not showing on the Observation form The Permitted Data Type on the Observation Template determines which result field appears. If “Attach” is selected, you will see an attachment button rather than a text or number field. If no type is selected, configure it in the template first. A Diagnostic Report has been approved but the patient cannot see it in the portal Diagnostic Reports are not yet surfaced in the standard patient portal. The patient can receive the report by email or printed copy.

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Best Practices

  • Use Observation Templates for every investigation type you regularly perform - do not enter free-text observations without a template, as this makes them unsearchable and unbillable
  • For imaging results from external facilities, create the Observation as an “Attach” type and upload the scanned report - this ensures it is stored in the patient’s history
  • Approve Diagnostic Reports within the same working day they are completed - leaving reports in “Pending Review” means the doctor’s interpretation is not officially recorded
  • For ECG and radiology, include the doctor’s text interpretation in the description field alongside the raw measurement or image - the raw attachment alone is not useful for future reference
  • Link the Observation or Diagnostic Report to the Service Request that ordered it (reference fields) so that billing can be tracked end to end
  • Consultations: Investigations may be ordered from the Patient Encounter
  • Laboratory: For standard blood and urine tests with numeric parameters and normal ranges
  • Billing and Finance: Billable observations are invoiced like other services