📋 Before You Go Offline
To use EHR-Africa offline, you need to prepare once while you have a good connection:
1. Log in while online
- Open EHR-Africa in your browser and log in as usual.
- Your session must be established while you are online.
2. Visit the pages you use most
- Open the main pages you work with: Dashboard, Patients, Patient Details, Clinical Note, Appointments, Billing, etc.
- Each page you open is stored for offline use.
- The more pages you open while online, the more you can do later when offline.
3. Use a supported browser
- Use a modern browser (Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox) on your computer, tablet, or phone.
- Keep the EHR-Africa tab or window open (or return to it) when you expect to work offline.
📴 When You Are Offline
Once you have logged in and loaded the app while online, you can continue working when the connection is lost:
What you can do offline
View patients Open your patient list and patient records.
Add or edit patients New or updated information is saved and will sync when you are back online.
Document clinical notes Write and save notes; they will sync when the connection returns.
Prescribe medications Create prescriptions; they will sync when you are back online.
Manage appointments Add or edit appointments; changes will sync later.
Record payments Payment data is saved locally and syncs when you reconnect.
Enter lab results Lab data is stored locally and syncs when online.
What you will see
- A sync status indicator on key pages shows online, offline, or pending sync.
- Any changes you make are saved locally and will be sent to the server automatically once you are back online.
- You do not need to do anything special; syncing happens in the background.
📶 Sync status indicator
On Dashboard, Patients, Clinical Note, Appointments, Billing, and similar pages, look for the sync pill in the header:
- Online — connected; saves go to the server immediately.
- Offline — working locally; changes queue until you reconnect.
- Syncing / pending — uploading queued changes after reconnect.
🔄 When You Are Back Online
- Reconnect to the internet as usual.
- Open or refresh EHR-Africa.
- Your recent changes will sync automatically.
- You can continue working as normal once sync completes.
💡 Tips for Reliable Offline Use
- Prepare before field visits – Log in and open the main pages you need before leaving a location with good internet.
- Use the same device – Offline data is stored on the device you use. Use the same computer, tablet, or phone for consistency.
- Check the sync status indicator – The pill shows online, offline, or pending sync; queued changes upload when you reconnect.
- Avoid logging out offline – If possible, stay logged in until you are back online so your session remains valid.
⚠️ Limitations
- First-time setup – You must log in at least once while online.
- New devices – On a new device or browser, you need to log in and load the app while online before offline use will work.
- Real-time updates – While offline, you will not see changes made by other users until you are back online and sync completes.
- Some features – A few features that depend on a live connection may not be available until you are back online.