What is Toolbar?
The iPLATO Toolbar floats on your screen over your clinical system providing easy 1:1 access to communicating with your patients.
Toolbar overview
Here is a guide on how to use Toolbar and its useful functions. Toolbar has 5 useful functions which this overview will go through.
1. iP - Toolbar Settings
Press the ip icon to bring up settings and a few other useful sections
The sections covered are:
Templates: opens the Templates section where you can build and manage your toolbar templates
PQ viewer: this opens up the browser showing you the iPLATO patient questionnaires
Bulk messaging: this will open up the browser for iPLATO Connect where you can send batch messages to patients
Settings: this allows you to manage your toolbar settings including signature and greetings, toolbar icons and toolbar opening preferences. It also displays the version number.
Diagnostics: if you’re having issues with the toolbar this should provide more information about the connection with the clinical system
Help: provides a direct link to the iPLATO Help page
Switch account: Allows you to add another practice account or switch to another practice.
Close: will shut down the toolbar
Patient list: open up the browser in Connect of the Patient List.
NHS service directory: sends you to the NHS website service finder page
Log Out: will log out the user
2. Patient Messaging
This section is about the direct messaging features of the iPLATO Toolbar that allows practices to send a direct 1:1 SMS messages, email or NHS app messages to a selected patient in the clinical system. Users have of allowing a patient to reply, adding a self book like or sending downloadable attachments.
How to send a message using the iPLATO Toolbar:
Select a patient from your clinical system
Press the Toolbar Messaging icon
This will then open up the Messaging pop-up
Ensue patient open is the one you want to send a message to
Type message in the box or select a pre-created template
Select to allow response, add attachments or a selfbook link.
Click Send Now or Send Later
3. Video call
How to set up a video consultation:
Select a patient from your clinical system
Press the camera icon
Click on Create a Video Consultation for a 1 on 1 meeting with the patient or Start an instant room for a group meeting
Make sure the contact details of the recipient(s) is correct
Type in your message including the link to the consultation
Click Send now once you are ready
IMPORTANT – You will be asked to enter a user name when entering the video consultation, this user name will be visible to all other attendees in the call. Please remind patients that you ask to attend using an anonymised name.
Buttons options during a Video call:
Once a Video Consultation has begun, you will have a number of action buttons to use during the call. On the bottom row, you have four action buttons to use, from left to right.
Camera Settings (background effects, switching camera on/off etc)
Microphone Settings (switching microphones, mute/unmute, noise reduction etc)
Share button – share screen with patient
Record – ability to start or retrieve recording (please note the recording will be saved onto your computer local drive)
Chat button – additional text chat option
People button – monitor attendees
Leave button – end the video call participation
TOP TIP: it is always good practice to advise a patient that you are going to put them on mute, stop your video feed, or end the Video Consultation. This way, the patient always knows what is happening.
4. Messaging an NHS service or clinician
Press the @ sign to Email an NHS service or clinician - for more information and a full guide click here.
In the To field, input who you are sending the email to (you can manage the address book in Connect)
Fill in the subject and message fields
If necessary, tick the boxes to save the message to the patient’s record or for the message to include the patient care summary
5. Inbox
This opens up an Inbox
There are five side tabs within the Inbox:
My inbox: toolbar messages that have been sent/replied to by current user
Team inbox: toolbar messages that have been sent by anyone at the practice
PQ inbox: all responses to questionnaires sent to patients from the toolbar
Failed messages: any messages that have failed to send to patients to enable users to resend
Triage inbox: allows you to see your patients medical issues, admin and prescription requests.
Message are stored here via the sub-sections:
Open: shows messages that have not been marked Done
Done: messages that have been marked Done and inquiry completed
Sent: sent messages from a toolbar user
Scheduled: messages set to go out at a future date and time
If you have any questions or you feel that this article could be improved, please feel free to give us some feedback by emailing help@iplato.com.