> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bizaxl.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Inpatient Management > How to admit a patient, manage their stay, administer medications, track nursing tasks, and process discharge. Some rehabilitation patients need to stay at the center for multiple days or weeks - for example, after major surgery or following a stroke. These patients are managed as inpatients. The inpatient module tracks everything about their stay from admission to discharge. *** ## Before You Start * The patient must be registered and have had a consultation where inpatient admission was ordered. * Healthcare Service Units (rooms, beds, wards) must be set up in the system. * Nursing Checklist Templates should be set up for care activities. * You must have the **Physician** role to create and manage inpatient records. * Nurses (**Nursing User** role) handle nursing tasks and medication administration. *** ## The Inpatient Journey ``` Doctor decides to admit the patient (during a Patient Encounter) │ ▼ Inpatient Record created Patient assigned to a bed/room (Healthcare Service Unit occupancy) │ ▼ Nursing tasks created for the patient Nurses conduct daily care rounds │ ├── Doctor orders medications │ (Inpatient Medication Order) │ Nurses administer and record each dose │ ├── Therapy sessions conducted │ (Therapy Sessions linked to Inpatient Record) │ ├── Lab tests ordered and processed │ ▼ Patient recovers Doctor writes discharge notes Discharge date and follow-up set Patient discharged (Inpatient Record closed) ``` *** ## Admitting a Patient ### Step 1: Order Admission in the Consultation When the doctor decides a patient needs inpatient care, they record this in the Patient Encounter. The encounter can trigger the admission or the front desk creates the Inpatient Record manually. ### Step 2: Create the Inpatient Record 1. Go to Healthcare workspace → Inpatient card → **Inpatient Record** → New Inpatient Record form showing patient name, admission details, primary practitioner, bed assignment, and therapy plan section 2. Fill in the admission details: | Field | What to Enter | | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------- | | Patient | The patient being admitted | | Medical Department | Department responsible for the patient's care | | Primary Practitioner | The main doctor responsible | | Secondary Practitioner | A backup or co-treating doctor (optional) | | Admission Ordered For | Date when admission was decided | | Expected Length of Stay | Estimated number of days | | Expected Discharge | Estimated discharge date | | Chief Complaint | The main reason for admission | | Admission Instruction | Any special care instructions on admission | ### Step 3: Assign a Bed In the **Service Unit** section, the admin or nurse assigns the patient to a specific bed or room: 1. Click the bed assignment button 2. The tree view of Healthcare Service Units opens showing which beds are vacant and which are occupied 3. Select a vacant bed/room 4. The patient is assigned and the bed shows as occupied Healthcare Service Unit tree showing rooms and beds with green Vacant and red Occupied badges The "Vacant Service Units" shortcut count on the workspace updates automatically. ### Step 4: Save and Admit Click **Save**. The patient's status changes to "Admitted" on their Patient record. The "Total Patients Admitted" number card on the workspace increases. *** ## Inpatient Occupancies The **Inpatient Occupancies** table tracks every bed transfer during the stay. If the patient moves from one room to another (for example, from a general ward to a private room), a new occupancy row is added. The occupancy history is preserved for billing and audit. *** ## Nursing Tasks for Inpatients Nursing tasks are the daily care actions nurses carry out for each inpatient: * Morning vital signs * Medication administration * Wound dressing * Assisted movement exercises * Patient repositioning (for immobile patients) ### Finding Nursing Tasks 1. Go to Healthcare workspace → Nursing card → **Nursing Task** 2. Filter by patient or date to see tasks assigned to a specific patient or due today ### Completing a Nursing Task 1. Open the Nursing Task record 2. Review the task description and instructions 3. Carry out the task 4. Record the actual start and end time 5. Add any notes (observations made while completing the task) 6. Change the status to **Completed** 7. Save *** ## Inpatient Medication Orders When a doctor prescribes medication for an inpatient, they create an **Inpatient Medication Order**. The nurse administers the medication according to the schedule. ### For the Doctor: Creating a Medication Order 1. Open the Inpatient Record 2. In the drug prescription section, add the medications needed 3. Save - the order is created and the nursing team can see it Alternatively, medication orders can be created from a Patient Encounter linked to the inpatient. ### For the Nurse: Administering Medication 1. Go to Healthcare workspace → Reports → **Inpatient Medication Orders** 2. Filter for today's pending orders for your ward 3. Open each pending order 4. When the medication is administered, mark the dose as given with the time 5. Save If a dose cannot be administered (patient refused, patient was away from bed, etc.), record this in the notes. *** ## Inpatient Therapy Admitted patients continue their therapy plan during their stay. Therapy sessions are conducted as normal and linked to both the Therapy Plan and the Inpatient Record. The doctor can also prescribe therapy sessions directly within the Inpatient Record. *** ## Transferring a Patient Between Rooms/Wards 1. Open the Inpatient Record 2. Click the **Transfer** button 3. Select the new Healthcare Service Unit (room/bed) 4. The old occupancy row is closed with an end time and a new row is created for the new location 5. Save *** ## Discharging a Patient When the patient has recovered and is ready to leave: ### Step 1: Final Consultation The doctor conducts a final Patient Encounter with: * Summary of the patient's progress * Final diagnosis * Discharge instructions (home exercises, diet, restrictions, medications to continue) * Follow-up appointment date ### Step 2: Update the Inpatient Record 1. Open the Inpatient Record 2. In the discharge section, fill in: | Field | What to Enter | | ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | | Discharge Practitioner | The doctor authorizing discharge | | Discharge Encounter | Link to the final consultation encounter | | Discharge Ordered Date | Date the discharge was ordered | | Discharge DateTime | Actual date and time the patient left | | Discharge Note | Summary of the patient's stay and care | | Discharge Instructions | What the patient should do at home | | Followup Date | Date of the next outpatient appointment | 3. Submit the Inpatient Record ### Result of Discharge * The patient's **Inpatient Status** changes from "Admitted" to blank on the Patient record * The "Total Patients Admitted" number card decreases * The bed becomes Vacant and available for the next patient * All outstanding billing should be finalized *** ## Field Guide: Inpatient Record | Field | What It Contains | | ----------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | | Patient | The admitted patient | | Medical Department | Department managing the patient | | Primary Practitioner | Main responsible doctor | | Secondary Practitioner | Co-treating doctor | | Status | Active (admitted), Completed (discharged), Cancelled | | Admitted DateTime | When the patient physically arrived | | Expected Length of Stay | Planned duration in days | | Expected Discharge | Planned discharge date | | Chief Complaint | Main clinical reason for admission | | Admission Instruction | Special requirements on admission | | Inpatient Occupancies | Table of all bed assignments during stay | | Drug Prescription | Inpatient medication orders | | Therapy Plan | The rehabilitation plan during inpatient stay | | Discharge DateTime | When the patient left | | Discharge Note | Summary note at discharge | | Followup Date | Next outpatient appointment | *** ## Reports and Monitoring for Inpatients * **Total Patients Admitted** number card (workspace): live count of current inpatients * **Inpatient Medication Orders** report: see all pending and completed medication doses * **Healthcare Service Unit** shortcut (workspace): see vacant vs. occupied beds at a glance *** ## Troubleshooting **I cannot find a vacant bed when admitting a patient** All beds in the required unit may be occupied. Check the Healthcare Service Unit tree to see which rooms are vacant. If no beds are available, contact the center manager. **The patient's inpatient status did not change after I created the Inpatient Record** Make sure you saved the Inpatient Record with the patient assigned. If you only saved a draft without an admission datetime, the status may not update. **A medication dose is showing as pending but the nurse says it was administered** The nurse may have administered the dose but not updated the system. Ask the nurse to open the order and mark the dose as given. **The patient was discharged but still shows as Admitted** Check that the Inpatient Record was submitted (not just saved). Submitting the discharge updates the patient's inpatient status. *** ## Best Practices * Assign a bed immediately when a patient is admitted - leaving a patient assigned without a bed causes confusion in the nursing rounds * Update medication orders same-day when they change - a nurse administering yesterday's order is a patient safety risk * Conduct the discharge discussion with the patient before updating the record - the record should reflect the agreed plan, not be a surprise to the patient * Set the Followup Date at discharge - patients who leave without a follow-up booking often do not return, leading to incomplete rehabilitation * Check "Allow Discharge Despite Unbilled Healthcare Services" in Healthcare Settings - if this is off, billing must be cleared before the discharge can be submitted *** ## Related Features * [Clinical Operations](/health-wellness/rehabilitation-center/clinical-operations): The Patient Encounter where admission is ordered * [Therapy Plans and Sessions](/health-wellness/rehabilitation-center/therapy-plans-sessions): Therapy continues during inpatient stay * [Laboratory](/health-wellness/rehabilitation-center/laboratory): Lab tests ordered during inpatient stay * [Billing and Finance](/health-wellness/rehabilitation-center/billing-finance): Inpatient billing at discharge