How do I move from the paper register to an electronic record?
Do not move the whole register in one day. Start with the animals that come to the practice and complete the record at each visit. Within a few months, most active animals have a record.
Short answer
- Clean the owner list from Excel: duplicates, missing phones, names spelled differently.
- Pick a start date and create each animal's record at its first visit after that date.
- Keep the paper register a short while longer, for reference only, not for new entries.
- Train the team on one flow: appointment, consultation, document.
The steps, in order
- Clean the data: one owner, one phone, one row.
- Enter the vets and rooms in the practice settings.
- Create records for the animals booked in the coming weeks.
- Enter in the consultation only what matters: reason, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, next check-up.
- Put the animals to be called back in the recall list.
What you do not move into the platform
- The platform does not store scanned files or radiographs. The document register keeps the title, type, date and link.
- The files stay where you keep them now.
Common mistakes
- Entering all animals retroactively at once and exhausting the team.
- Writing on paper and in the platform indefinitely.
- If you keep registers with legal obligations, do not throw them away. Check retention periods with the College of Veterinarians.
How 4softvet helps
- The animal record linked to the owner and the free-text consultation replace the register page.
- The prescription is printed from the consultation, with space for signature and stamp.