Guide

Getting consent signed before the patient arrives

Build a consent template once, send it by email, and watch sent, viewed and signed update in real time, with a full audit trail behind every signature.

Updated

Chasing paper consent forms on the day of treatment is one of those small frictions every practice has learned to live with. Consent management in myCliniBot replaces it with a simple loop: build a form once, send it to the patient by email, and track it from sent to viewed to signed without leaving your screen.

Three ways to build a consent form

Every consent form in myCliniBot is a reusable template. Create it once and use it for any patient, as many times as you like.

  • Upload a PDF. If your practice already has consent forms it trusts, upload them as PDFs, give each one a name, and they are ready to send.
  • Build a custom form. The visual editor lets you write branded forms with headings, paragraphs, lists and images, including treatment-specific risks, benefits and alternatives. Edit templates any time to keep them current.
  • Generate one from a clinical note. From any generated note, on a Day List card or in your notes feed, click Generate Consent. Pick the treatment type, add any extra detail by typing or dictating, and myCliniBot drafts treatment-specific risks, benefits and alternatives from the clinical detail in the note, including the specific teeth mentioned. The draft lands in the Generated tab, ready to review and edit in the editor before sending.

Sending a form to a patient

  1. Choose the patient and template

    Click Send Consent from the consent management page, or directly from a patient's card in the Patient Journey tracker.

  2. Enter the patient's email address

    That is all myCliniBot needs. The form is delivered with a secure signing link.

  3. The patient signs from home

    The link opens a password-protected signing portal. The patient confirms their identity with a secure passcode, reviews the form and cover page, and signs on a touchscreen or with a mouse.

The moment the signature lands, the patient receives a confirmation email with their signed copy, and you are notified that the consent is complete. No printing, no scanning, no form hunting at reception.

Tracking who has signed

Each consent carries a colour-coded status badge, so the state of every form is visible at a glance.

  • Sent. The form is in the patient's inbox, awaiting a signature.
  • Viewed. The patient has opened the form. Useful for a gentle chase before the appointment.
  • Signed. Done. The signed PDF is ready to download and file.

Behind every consent sits a full audit trail: when it was sent, when the patient viewed it, when they signed, and the IP address data for verification, all timestamped. You can download the audit trail as a PDF for your records and medico-legal protection.

Retention, and who holds what

Under GDPR your practice is the data controller and myCliniBot is the data processor. The permanent home of a signed consent is your practice management system, not myCliniBot, and the retention rules are built around that.

  • Signed PDFs are deleted after 90 days. Download each signed consent and file it in your practice management system well before then. It is the same principle as the 48-hour rule for notes, just on a longer clock.
  • The audit trail is kept for 11 years. Who viewed, when they signed and from where is retained as metadata for compliance and medico-legal purposes, in line with UK dental record-keeping expectations.

Common questions about e-signed consent

Do patients need an account to sign?
No. They receive an email with a password-protected link, confirm their identity with a secure passcode, and sign on whatever device they have to hand.
Can I keep using our existing consent forms?
Yes. Upload them as PDF templates and send them as they are, or rebuild them in the visual editor when you want something more polished.
How long are signed forms kept in myCliniBot?
Signed PDFs are deleted after 90 days, so download and file them in your practice management system promptly. The audit trail metadata is retained for 11 years.
Can a consent form be drafted from a clinical note?
Yes. Click Generate Consent on any generated note and myCliniBot drafts treatment-specific risks, benefits and alternatives from the note itself. Review and edit the draft before sending, as you would any form.