Private Notes
Staff-only notes on a patient that are never sent to the patient or shown on their records
Private notes are for things your team needs to remember about a patient but the patient should never see, for example "check for irritation next visit, may switch the cream".
Who sees a private note
| Person | Can see it | Can edit or delete it |
|---|---|---|
| The person who wrote it | Yes | Yes |
| Owner and admins | Yes, every note | No |
| Other doctors and staff | No | No |
| The patient | Never | No |
Private notes are never sent on WhatsApp, never appear on the Records Portal, and the AI receptionist doesn't read them.
If someone leaves your clinic, they lose access to their notes, but the notes stay on the patient with the author's name, so the owner can still read them.
Write a note from a chat
Open the chat
In Conversations, open the patient's chat.
Switch to Private note
Above the message box, tap Private note. The box turns amber so you can't mistake it for a reply.
Write and save
Type the note and tap Save (or press Enter). It appears in the chat as a dashed amber bubble with a lock.
You can write a note even while the AI is on or the WhatsApp 24-hour window has closed. Tap Reply to go back to messaging the patient.
Use the Private notes filter at the top of the chat to see only notes.
Notes on the patient profile
The Private notes card on the patient profile (and the quick look) lists every note you're allowed to see, newest first. You can add a note there too. The author can tap the pencil to edit a note or the bin to delete it.
Private notes vs visit notes
| Private notes | Visit notes | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you write them | Chat or patient profile | The visit sheet in Appointments |
| Who sees them | Author, owner, admins | Your clinic team |
| Shown to the patient | Never | No |