A returning patient record is unavailable on this device

A returning patient gives their folder number, but the receptionist cannot find the record on this device. Keep the search question separate from the person's identity. An empty search result does not establish that the patient has never attended.

Ask the patient for the identifiers used by your hospital and follow its normal confirmation process. Then check the search boundary before deciding that a new record is needed. Care should continue through the hospital's agreed clinical and downtime procedures while authorised staff resolve the record problem.

Check where you are searching

Confirm that the staff member is in the correct practice and has the appropriate role. Check the search terms and any filters. A transposed folder digit or an unfamiliar spelling can lead the search away from the existing record.

If the connection is unavailable, ask whether the relevant record is part of the working information already available on that device. In RizCare, records can remain usable on an enrolled device during an outage, but staff should not assume every practice record is available on every device. A record created elsewhere may also be waiting to reach the practice.

Give the search an owner

Ask the authorised records colleague to check the established index or another permitted source. Avoid asking several staff members to create replacement records independently. Record the discrepancy and search reference so the next shift knows what has been checked.

The WHO patient identification guidance supports deliberate identity checks. It does not prescribe RizCare's offline behaviour or authorise merging two records.

Preserve the continuity trail

If the hospital uses a temporary downtime record, follow its approved numbering and reconciliation procedure. Keep the reference available to the person responsible for connecting the work afterwards. Do not invent an old visit or copy a guessed clinical history into a new record.

Use the identity discrepancy log when the available identifiers conflict. If the record later appears, have an authorised person establish the relationship before moving information or correcting references. Tell the colleague who took over the search what was found so they do not continue creating work against a temporary record.