With Nursebuddy, you now have even more reassurance that your carers are checking in and checking out in the right place, at the right time.
Standard and Pro customers will have the option to activate a double security layer for call monitoring visit check-in and out. You will have the ability to utilise GPS or QR codes individually, or combine them together for the most advanced level of visit security.
How do I activate GPS and QR codes?
Open the visit validation settings: Settings > General Settings>SecureVisit
Select from the 'Visit check in/out validation method' menu the options you want to apply to monitoring your client's visits:
GPS
This option relies on GPS data to validate visit check in and check out. Carers must have GPS/location services activated on their mobile device in order to use this option.
When select GPS method, please also select the accepted distance for check in and out. You might want to try to set a distance greater than 50 meters if the GPS signal is not very accurate in the area you operate:
IMPORTANT: Nursebuddy app GPS visit validation relies on the GPS signal in the visit area. Please remember, GPS is delivered via satellite and it may take some seconds for the location to be updated. And some areas have a better signal than others affecting the accuracy of the location recorded in the Nursebuddy app.
For a location to be valid, the area of the carer's location has to cross or be within the client's location area, like in this image:
In this other image, you can see how the check out position was not crossing or was not within the client's location, hence the GPS is signalling as Not in the area:
QR codes
Carers will be required to scan a code that will be located in the client's house. You can decide where is the best place to place the code, but we recommend attaching it to a central location in the client's house that is easy to find, on a flat surface and away from anywhere it may get wet or damaged. The QR code is generated individually for each client and can be regenerated as many times as needed. If the QR code is not scanned, or the incorrect QR code is scanned, the visit will show as 'not validated'.
GPS + QR codes
This is the most secure visit validation method and the method recommended by Nursebuddy. With this option, carers need to validate the visit using both GPS as well as scanning a QR code in order to validate a visit check-in or check-out.
None
If you select not to use any of the visit validation options your carers won't be required to do anything when starting a visit. This also means they won't need to have the GPS activated.
Generating and activating the QR codes
If you select GPS + QR codes or QR codes as your method of visit validation, a list of your active clients will be displayed so you can generate QR codes for them. You can use the search box to look for specific clients.
You will also see instructions on the page for how to activate a client's QR code.
Steps to activate QR codes
1- By clicking on the 3 dots at the end of each row, you will find the options to Print the QR code and to activate it, select Print QR code
When you click 'Activate QR code', it means that the QR code scan will be required by the carer at the next visit. Please remember that the QR code must be printed and placed in the clients house before it is activated.
Now print the QR code:
3. Cut the QR code and take it to the client's house to place it there (Leave the date out so carers don't know when a QR code is regenerated)
4. Open your Web app and choose Settings > GPS & QR codes (SecureVisit)> Look for the client's name and in the 3 dots, select the option to Activate QR Code.
5. After that, the QR code is ready to be scanned by the carer on the next visit:
After you choose your preferred visit validation method, these changes can take some time to be visible in the carer's app. We suggest requesting your carers to log out manually so the changes can be applied immediately.
Log out manually in the app: When they are logged in to the app click the 3 lines that are located at the upper right corner, then under "My Profile" they will find the option to Log Out.
Pausing the QR code
To temporarily pause the QR code requirement for an individual client, click on the 3 dots in the client list and select "Pause". While the QR code is paused, it won't be required by the carer at visits.
After pausing the code you can reactivate it, or regenerate a new different one
Important: If you select 'Activate QR code' after pausing it, the same code that was previously generated is the one that will be activated again.
Regenerating the QR Code
How do I get a new QR code to replace an existing one?
After pausing the code, the system will give you the option to generate a new QR code by clicking the three dots in the client list in the visit validation settings.
1. Select 'Delete the QR code and regenerate a new one'. This will invalidate the previous code and delete it. Remember, the old code will need to be removed from the clients house.
2. The QR code status will change to "QR code not yet activated" therefore, you will need to print the new code, place it in the client's house and then activate it from your manager's account.
How to scan the QR codes using Nursebuddy app?
Please note that QR codes visit validation is only available to use in the Nursebuddy app for carers. This is the new version of the mobile app that can be found here for iOS and Android.
When you have selected a visit validation option that includes QR codes and activated the QR code, the app will prompt the carers to scan the code.
If the method you selected is GPS+QR code, the app will first record the GPS location, then the QR code scan service will open. The carer needs to point to the code with their phone camera and the scan will happen automatically:
The carer will repeat these same steps for checking out of the visit.
Checking the visit validation information
The information collected by the system about the check-in and check-out will be available for each visit. You can access from either the client's or carer's calendar or in the scheduling page by clicking on the visit of your interest.
The visit window has 4 tabs, and Location is the one where you can see the information related to the visit validation.
Now, instead of a map pin, you will see 3 different symbols:
Client's address
These are some scenarios of how the location tab will show you the visit validation information:
Scenario 1: Carer GPS location and scanned code are correct during check in:
Scenario 2: Location is right but the QR code was not read during the check in:
Scenario 3: check in and check out have both correct QR code and GPS readings
Scenario 4: QR code was read correctly during the check-in and check-out but the location wasn't in the client's house
You can use this information to make aware of your carers that you can see what are their status at the moment of checking in and checking out. Any breach of your company policies in regards to visit validation can carry out sanctions.
Scenario 5: The GPS is turned off or not found by the app, the QR code was not read during the check-in and check-out.
When the information of the GPS is: GPS not available or Location not found is an indicator that the location service is turned off or not enabled for Nursebuddy app. Carers need to make sure that Nursebuddy app can use their location while using the app (in the settings of their phone device> Nursebuddy app)
Best practices suggestions
A common question we get is 'what happens if the carer takes a picture of the code to scan it anywhere, even if they're not at the visit location?'
We suggest the following:
We recommend, where possible, to use the GPS+QR code as a visit validation method. This is the most secure method of visit validation as it gives two layers of verification. The carer must be at the visit location in order to start the visit.
Establish a policy of how often the QR code should be regenerated and use the spot check visits or other occasions to replace the QR code with a new one.
Don't mention to the carers when a QR code was replaced by a new one
When cutting the QR code, leave out the date, so carers won't be able to tell if it is a new one or if it was replaced.
While we can give you tools to help you ensure compliance with check-in and check-out, Nursebuddy is not responsible for and cannot prevent carer misconduct. Please ensure you have an appropriate policy for verifying visit validation and taking disciplinary action when misconduct occurs.