How to Edit Observations

Observations may need to be edited to add or update existing details. Observations can only be edited by an ALIS user who has the security role access to do so. 

For more information:

• Read this Observations Reference Guide.
• Read this Security Roles Reference Guide article. 

Observations & Security Roles

Your ability to edit observations depends on permissions assigned to your specific Security Role. 

• Typically, users with administrator or nurse roles have edit access.
•  To update access, your company administrator must contact your Account Manager or our ALIS Customer Success Team.

Specific Observation Types can also be restricted by Security Role. 

For example:

• Nurse’s Note may be limited to administrator or nurse roles
• Daily Log Note may be available to caregivers and other staff

Observation Types are configured and managed in Company Settings and Resident Settings. 

Active Observations

An Observation can be edited while it is in an Active status.

• The Active status determines how long a note remains editable.
• This duration is set by your Observations settings or selected in the Keep Active For field when the note is created.

You can identify an editable note by the green "ACTIVE" tag displayed below the date and time.

How to Edit an Observation

Navigate to the observation from the Resident Profile > Observations section or the Observation Center.

1. Locate the note and click Edit.
   • If the Edit button is not visible, refer to Observations & Security Roles above.
2. This opens the Edit Observation page, where you can update:
   • Type
   • Date and Time
   • Severity
   • Keep Active For
   • *Observation Summary
3. Click Submit to save your edits. 

*Editing the Observation Summary 

You may update the Observation Summary by typing directly into the text field. Formatting tools are available to assist with clarity and organization.

Speech-to-Text Transcription (Optional)

You can use speech-to-text while editing to update or add to the Observation Summary.

• Select the microphone option and begin speaking
• Speak clearly and at a steady pace
• Your speech will be transcribed directly into the text field

⚠️Important: Transcription may not accurately capture punctuation (e.g., commas, periods). It is always recommended to review and edit the transcribed text before saving.

Edit an Expired Observation

Once an Observation exceeds its Keep Active For duration, it becomes Expired and is no longer editable.

• Expired notes remain visible and accessible at all times
• On the Resident Profile, expired notes display an “Expired On” date

You have the ability to "Make Active" the note to extend the time in which it can be edited.  

Make an Observation Active Again

Users with appropriate permissions (typically administrators) can restore edit access:

1. Locate the expired observation.
2. Click Edit to open the View Observation page.
3. Click Make Active in the top-right corner,
4. In the pop-up window:
   1. Select a new Keep Active For duration (e.g., 1 day, 3 days).
   2. Click Make Active.

5. This returns the note to an editable state.

⚠️Important: The Active/Expired status does not ever delete or hide the Observations. Observations are indefinitely accessible in the Observation Center. On the resident profile, you will know a note is expired if there is an "Expired On dd/mm/yyyy" tag visible above the date and time details. 

Strikethrough an Observation

The strikethrough feature allows staff to mark an observation as no longer valid while preserving the original note text and a complete audit trail. For full instructions, read this How to Strikethrough an Observation guide.

This feature can be enabled by the ALIS Team or a Company Admin in Company Settings → General Preferences. Access to strikethrough and undo strikethrough on observations is controlled by security role permissions. Contact your Account Manager or our ALIS Customer Success Team for enablement assistance.

How to Apply a Strikethrough

1. Navigate to the observation from the Observation Center or the Resident Profile → Observations section.
2. Locate the note and click on the strikethrough icon.
   • ⚠️If this option is not visible, the note was not authored by you, or your security role does not have the strikethrough permission. 
3. Enter a written reason in the field provided. A reason is required; the strikethrough cannot be saved without one.
4. Click Strikethrough to apply.  

Once saved, the original note text displays with a visual strikethrough, and the reason appears inline beneath it for all staff viewing the note.

How to Undo a Strikethrough

1. Locate the struckthrough note in the Observation Center or Resident Profile → Observations section.
2. Select the undo icon on the note.
3. Click Undo to restore the observation. 

⚠️ Important: If the original observation was grouped across multiple residents, the undo must be performed individually for each resident on their respective profile. 

Related Articles: 

• Observations Reference Guide
• How to record new Observations
• How to Strikethrough an Observation
• How to pre-fill Observations with templates
• Security Roles Reference Guide

For more assistance: 888.404.ALIS (2547)  |  support@go-alis.com