ALIS Observations are notes that staff can create to record resident information to include in their clinical chart. Observations can also be used to document community messages to be shared with staff or third parties.
Customize your Observations workflow
ALIS Observations includes default settings that work well when getting started, with additional configuration options to support your operational needs:
- Create unique names for each Observation note type.
- Set the how long notes remain "Active" (editable by staff).
- Limit certain Observation types to specific security roles.
- Control whether a note type should always appear in the Selected Observations section of the Daily Stand-Up Report (last 24 hours).
- Pre-fill Observations with templates based on the Observation Type. See this How to pre-fill Observations with templates guide for setup instructions.
- Enable the Observation Comments feature for internal team communication that does not appear in the resident’s official record.
Observation note types and their configurations are managed at:
- Company level: Company Settings
- Community level: Resident Settings
Contact your Account Manager or our ALIS Customer Success Team for assistance.
Record a new Observation note
You can record a new Observation from multiple locations in ALIS. Availability depends on your settings and security role.
Common locations include:
- Dashboard icon
- Observation Center
- Resident Profile
- Resident Monitoring
- Care Tracking, Record Care page (dependent on settings)
- Mealtime Attendance
1 - Dashboard icon: Click on the New Observation icon.
2 - Observation Center: +Record New Observation button.
3 - Resident Profile: +Observation button under the resident photo or in the Observations section.
4 - Resident Monitoring: Click +Observation on an active monitoring event.
5 - Care Tracking, Record Care Page: Select the checkbox to create an Observation using the information typed into the 'Notes' field.
6 - Mealtime Attendance: Click +Observation for any resident at mealtimes.
Enter Observation note details
Starting a new Observation (except via Care Tracking) opens a panel on the right side of the screen where note details are entered.
First, select a Resident or Community Observation note:
- Resident Observation (most common): Documents information about one or more residents (e.g., changes in condition, participation in activities, vaccinations).
- Community Observation: Used for general updates (e.g., maintenance, staff communication, general announcements).
Next, add required observation note details:
Resident
Select the applicable resident(s). While typically one resident is selected, you may choose multiple residents if the same note should appear on multiple charts.
Type
Defines the subtype of the note (e.g., Shift Change, Nurse’s Note).
Note Types are configurable in Resident Settings and may control:
- Visibility by security role
- Inclusion in the Daily Stand-Up Report
For assistance configuring Note Types, contact your Account Manager or ALIS Customer Success Team.
Date and Time
These fields auto-populate based on when the note is created but can be adjusted as needed.
Observation Summary
Enter the details of your observation. Formatting tools are available to assist with organizing content. It is best practice to establish clear documentation standards within your community to ensure consistency and completeness.
Speech-to-text Transcription (Optional)
You may use speech-to-text to dictate your observation summary instead of typing.
- Select the microphone option and begin speaking
- Speak clearly and at a steady pace for best transcription results
- The system will convert your speech into text within the Observation Summary field
⚠️Important: Transcription may not accurately capture punctuation (e.g., commas, periods). It is always recommended to review and edit the transcribed text before clicking Create Observation.
Templated Observation (Optional)
Templates can automatically populate the Observation Summary based on the selected Type. Use this feature to help standardize documentation by providing prompts for required information.
Refer to this How to pre-fill Observations with templates guide for setup instructions.
Severity
Defaults to Normal. Select Critical to highlight urgent or sensitive notes.
- Critical notes appear in the Daily Stand-Up Report. Read this Daily Stand-Up Report guide for more information.
- Alerts can be configured for staff notifications (if enabled). Alerts are configured in Alerts Settings. Read this Alerts Settings and How to manage ALIS Alerts guides for setup instructions. Contact your Account Manager or our ALIS Customer Success Team for assistance.
Keep Active For
Determines how long the note remains editable after creation (e.g., 1 day). Once this time period expires, the note becomes locked.
- Administrators can edit notes at any time. For more information read this How to edit Observations guide.
- All notes remain accessible indefinitely, regardless of this "Keep Active For" setting.
Record Vitals
This option may appear depending on your security role permissions.
The Observation Center
The Observation Center is an interactive report displaying all Observation notes within a selected date range.
- The Dashboard icon displays a red badge indicating new observations since your last visit
- By default, the page shows observations from the past two weeks
Staff should regularly review this page to stay informed of updates recorded by others.
Filter for Observation Notes
Filters in the Observation Center and Resident Profile help locate specific notes and narrow data to export:
- Observation Type: Filter by note category (e.g., Shift Change Note, Nurse's Note).
- Resident (Search Bar): Search by resident name.
- Recorded By (Search Bar): Filter by staff member to view Observation notes that staff member recorded.
- Severity: Sort by "Normal" and "Critical" note types.
- Date Range: Filter by specific timeframe.
Print Observation Notes
Once you have filtered for specific Observations, a helpful next step can be to print them. This is commonly done in preparation for state surveys.
Observation notes can be printed from:
Resident Profile
- Navigate to the Observations section.
- Click Print next to an individual note.
Observation Center
- Click Print next to an individual note, or
- Print multiple notes using the top-level Print option (based on filters).
Vitals in Observation Notes
Staff with appropriate security role permissions can record vitals within Observation notes. Vitals recorded in the initial note appear within the Observation Summary when viewed or edited.
Vitals recorded in Observation notes also appear in the following Resident Reports:
- Vital Sign Details Report
- Vital Sign Summary Report
Edit Observation Notes
Only users with the appropriate permissions can edit observations.
- Notes can be edited while in Active status
- After the “Keep Active For” period, notes become locked (except for administrators)
Read this How to edit Observations guide for more details and instructions.
Observation Comments
The Observation Comments feature is behind an entitlement and must be enabled by the ALIS Team.
- Once enabled, it can be managed at the community level in Company Settings.
- Access to add comments depends on security role permissions.
Contact your Account Manager or our ALIS Customer Success Team for assistance.
Feature Overview
This feature allows your team to communicate internally about observation notes without including this communication in the resident’s official record.
- Comments can only be added while the observation is in an Active (editable) state
- Add comments from:
- The Observation Center (Add Comments link)
- The Edit Observation screen
- The number of comments is displayed in the Observation Center, and the full comment history is visible within the observation note.
Related Articles:
- How to record new Observations
- How to edit Observations
- Recording Vitals
- How to pre-fill Observations with templates
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