How to View the Audit Trail

Quick Answer

Hover over any journal entry to see who created it and when. For full audit reports, go to Main Menu Toolbar → Audit and select the report category you need.

What Problem Does This Solve?

You need to verify who made a change, when it happened, or why an entry was corrected. This guide shows how to access audit information at both the patient-record level and the system level.

Before You Start

Prerequisites

• Patient-record level audit: Any user with read access to the relevant patient record
• System-level audit reports: Administrator, supervisor, or clinical governance role
• Audit data less than 1 year old is readily accessible in most deployments

Step-by-Step Instructions

1

View Entry Timestamps Inside a Patient Record

See who created an entry and when

1. Open the patient record and navigate to the relevant journal or clinical node.
2. Hover over any entry to display a tooltip showing:
   • Who created it (user name and role)
   • When it was created (precise timestamp)

2

Check the Amended Symbol for Edit History

See who changed an entry after it was created

1. Look for the amended symbol (usually a pencil or edit indicator) next to an entry.
2. Hover over the symbol to reveal:
   • The user who made the change
   • The date and time of the amendment

What Counts as an Amendment?

Any edit to the original content — including text changes, code updates, or attachment additions — triggers an amended audit entry.

3

Review Deleted Items (Mark In Error)

See entries that were corrected or removed

1. In the patient record, open the Clinical Tree or Administrative Tree.
2. Navigate to the Deleted Items node.
3. Review the list of marked-in-error entries, which shows:
   • The original entry content
   • The user who marked it in error
   • The date and time of deletion
   • The reason provided

Cannot Be Deleted

Marked-in-error entries are hidden from active view but remain permanently in the audit trail. They are never physically deleted.

4

Generate a System-Level Audit Report

Run filtered reports for governance, complaints, or investigations

1. From the Main Menu Toolbar, click Audit.
2. Select the report category that matches your need (see table below).
3. Apply filters:
   • User — specific staff member
   • Date range — when the activity occurred
   • Patient — specific patient identifier
   • Action type — view, create, edit, delete, print, export
4. Click Generate or Export to retrieve the report.

Report Availability

Audit reports for data less than 1 year old are typically accessible immediately. Older data may require a formal request to the system vendor or administrator.

Audit Report Categories

Not all reports are relevant to every care setting. Use this guide to choose the right one:

Report Category	Use It When...	Typical Setting
User Access Activity	Investigating login failures, lockouts, or simultaneous logins	All settings
Patient Record Access	Handling patient complaints, checking who retrieved or printed a record	All settings
Appointments & Rotas	Resolving scheduling disputes or checking rota changes	Primary care, clinics
Communication & Letters	Reviewing instant messaging logs or letter errors	Hospital, specialist
Clinical Operations	Birth audits, child health schedule audits	Maternity, paediatrics

Most reports are filterable by user, date, patient, or action type. Some reports are more relevant to hospital workflows and may not be used in primary care settings.

Medication Audits

Prescribing history and dispensing records may be split across two systems. The prescribing system captures the prescriber's intent; the dispensing system (PhIS) captures what was actually dispensed. Check both when investigating medication errors.

Troubleshooting

Cannot see the Audit menu or generate reports

Permission or role issue

Cause: You do not have the required role for system-level audit access.

Solution:

1. Verify your account has Audit Report or Clinical Governance permissions.
2. Contact your clinic administrator or CCMS facilitator if access is needed for an investigation.
3. For urgent patient-safety issues, ask an authorized reviewer to generate the report on your behalf.

Audit data older than 1 year is missing

Data retention and archival policy

Cause: Older audit data may be archived by the system vendor to manage storage.

Solution:

1. Submit a formal request to TPP or your clinic administrator.
2. Include the specific date range, patient(s), and user(s) you need.
3. Allow several business days for retrieval.

Deleted Items node is empty but I know an entry was marked in error

View permissions or wrong patient record

Cause: You may be in the wrong patient record, or your role does not have access to the Deleted Items node.

Solution:

1. Double-check you have opened the correct patient record.
2. Verify you are looking in the Clinical Tree or Administrative Tree → Deleted Items.
3. If still empty, confirm your role has view deleted items permission.