Reading and managing notifications
Triage in-app notifications about appointments, messages, tasks, and system alerts.
Overview
Notifications surface things that need your attention — a patient checked in, a chat message, an invoice overdue. The bell icon shows the unread count; the Notifications page is your full inbox.
Prerequisites
- Any authenticated role
- Notification triggers configured (most are on by default)
Steps
Click the bell icon. Top-right of any page. Dropdown shows the 5 most recent notifications.
Open the full Notifications page. Click See all in the dropdown, or navigate to /notifications.
Filter by category. Tabs: All, Appointments, Messages, Billing, System. Each shows unread count.
Click a notification. Opens the relevant artifact — appointment detail, message thread, invoice, etc.
Mark a single notification read. Click the dot icon on a row.
Mark all as read. Top-right Mark all as read button. Useful at start of day to clear yesterday's noise.
Snooze a notification. Snooze 1 hour / Snooze tomorrow — moves it back to unread later.
Pin important notifications. Click pin icon — keeps it at the top until manually dismissed.
Expected outcome
- Notifications reflect real-time events
- Unread count is accurate
- Marking actions sync across browser sessions
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Unread count never goes to zero | Stale notifications | Click "Mark all as read" |
| Missing notifications for events you expect | Preferences turned off | See Notification preferences |
| Real-time bell stays at zero | Websocket disconnected | Refresh; check connection indicator |
| Clicking a notification doesn't navigate | Linked artifact deleted | Notification is stale; mark read and dismiss |
| Want push notifications on phone | Use the patient portal native app or browser push (limited) | Browser push works for staff at the desktop |