LIMS Sending SMS - hmislk/hmis GitHub Wiki

Sending SMS Notifications

The LIMS can automatically send an SMS to a patient's mobile phone when their lab report is approved. The SMS contains a short message and a secure link that takes the patient directly to their result — no login required.

How SMS Notifications Work

  1. A lab report is approved by an authorised user.
  2. If the patient has a registered mobile number and the SMS feature is enabled, the system sends an SMS automatically. No manual action is needed from lab staff.
  3. The patient receives the SMS within a few minutes (delivery time depends on the SMS gateway and mobile network).
  4. The patient taps the link in the SMS and is taken to a secure web page showing their report.

What the SMS Contains

A typical SMS message looks like:

"Your lab report is ready. Click the link to view: [secure link]. — [Hospital Name]"

The exact wording is configured by the system administrator. The secure link expires after a set period (configured per institution) to prevent unauthorized access to historical results.

When SMS Is Sent

SMS is triggered by report approval. If approval happens outside of normal hours (e.g., an urgent test approved at night), the SMS is still sent immediately.

An SMS is not sent in the following cases:

  • The patient's mobile number is not registered in the system.
  • The SMS feature is not configured for your institution.
  • The patient has opted out of SMS notifications.
  • The test result was entered on a report that was later cancelled — the cancelled report does not trigger a new SMS.

Viewing SMS Delivery Status

Lab staff can check whether an SMS was sent for a specific investigation:

  1. Open the investigation from Menu > Lab > Report Management.
  2. Look for the Notifications section in the investigation detail view.
  3. The system displays whether an SMS was sent and the delivery timestamp.

If a Patient Did Not Receive the SMS

Common reasons and actions:

Reason What to do
Mobile number not registered Ask the patient for their number and update the registration record
Wrong mobile number Correct the number in the patient record and reprint/resend from the investigation
SMS gateway issue Contact the system administrator to check the SMS gateway status
Delivered to spam / blocked sender Ask the patient to check blocked numbers; the system administrator may need to use a different sender ID

Patient Access to the Report via SMS Link

When the patient clicks the link:

  • They see a formatted view of the approved report.
  • The view is read-only — patients cannot edit any data.
  • If they have multiple tests on the same bill, the link shows all approved reports for that visit.
  • The patient can save or screenshot the report for their own records.

For Administrators

SMS notifications require configuration of an SMS gateway account (e.g., Dialog, Mobitel, or a third-party SMS API). The feature is enabled per institution via the application configuration. Contact the system administrator or refer to the configuration documentation if SMS is not working.

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