Works offline
Offline clinic management software that keeps the OPD moving when the internet drops
Vitels is offline clinic management software for single-doctor and small multi-doctor clinics in India. The token queue, consultation, prescription print and billing keep working with no internet, and the work syncs on its own when the connection returns. New patient registration needs a connection, and the screen tells you so.
What does offline clinic management software actually mean?
It means the clinic can keep seeing patients when the broadband goes down. Vitels does this as an offline-first browser app: today's queue, recent patient history, the drug list and the doctor's favourites are kept on the device, the desk and the doctor keep working, and every change is queued and sent to the server in order once the internet is back. It is one part of Vitels's clinic management software, not a separate product.
- Works offline
- Queue, consult, print, bill
- Needs internet
- New patient registration
- History offline
- Last three visits
- Sync
- Automatic, in order
- Runs in
- The browser, no installation
- Price
- No licence fee
Installed, cloud or offline-first: what does "offline" mean in each?
Vendors use the word offline for three different designs, and the difference decides what happens on a bad day. Installed desktop software runs on one computer in the clinic. It does not need the internet at all, but the records live on that machine: if its disk fails or it is stolen, the data is only as safe as the last backup someone took, and seeing records from home or a second clinic needs remote-access setup.
Cloud software keeps the records on the vendor's servers, so backups and updates are their job and you can sign in from any computer. A cloud product that needs a live connection for every screen stops when the broadband drops, queue and prescription pad included. Some keep part of the day on the device. Ask the vendor to show you which kind theirs is.
An offline-first browser app sits between the two. The records live on the server, a working copy of the day sits on the device, and the app writes to that copy first. Vitels is built this way: the same path runs all day, online or not, so the offline path is in use all day and is not first tested during an outage.
What happens in Vitels when the connection drops mid-OPD?
Vitels downloads a day pack when you sign in, when the connection comes back, and every two minutes while you are online. It holds today's queue, each patient's details and last three visits, the doctor's letterhead and favourites, and a copy of the drug list that is refreshed only when it changes.
When the line drops, a "Working offline" banner appears and nothing else changes for the desk or the doctor. The patient queue keeps moving, the doctor writes and prints the e-prescription as usual, and billing records the fee. Each action is saved on the device and added to an outbox.
When the connection returns, the outbox is sent to the server in order. Each item belongs to the person who made it and is sent only under that person's login, so on a shared computer the doctor's notes are never written to the record under the receptionist's name. Anything that fails stays in the header with a retry button until someone deals with it.
What still needs the internet?
Two things, and we would rather you hear them here than mid-OPD. Registering a new patient needs a connection. Searching for a patient who is not in the day pack needs one too. In both cases the screen says so in plain words instead of failing quietly.
Signing in uses a one-time code sent to your +91 mobile, so sign in at the start of the day while the connection is up. For first-time patients during an outage, keep a paper register at the desk and enter them once the line is back. Our guide to running the OPD when the internet drops covers the full backup kit: a second connection on a different carrier, battery backup for the router and printer, and how to enter paper visits the same day.
Which clinics need an offline mode most?
Any clinic whose broadband or power drops during OPD hours, even once a week, because the drop always lands when the waiting area is full. It matters most for a clinic on a single connection with no backup line, a clinic where the doctor prints every prescription, and a front desk that bills each patient before they leave.
If your connection has never failed in clinic hours, offline mode is still the reason a slow afternoon line does not hold up the pad. For the wider picture of what a small clinic needs from its software, start with OPD management software.
What keeps working with no internet
Each item is a live part of Vitels today. The limits are listed further down the page.
Token queue
Add a patient Vitels already has on the device to the queue, call the next token, mark priority and reorder the line, with no connection.
Consultation
Open the patient, write the consultation and prescription, repeat an earlier one and complete the visit. Drug search runs from the copy kept on the device.
Prescription print
Print on the clinic letterhead, with the logo, on A4 or A5 while offline. No Vitels branding on the print.
Billing
Record the fee in cash, UPI or card and print the receipt. The bill joins the day book when the device syncs.
Search among cached patients
Find any patient in the day pack by name or phone. A search beyond them waits for the connection and the screen says why.
Last three visits
Each patient in the day pack carries their last three visits, so the doctor sees the previous prescription during an outage.
Ordered sync on reconnect
Every change goes to an outbox on the device and is sent to the server in the order it was made, once the connection is back.
You can see what is waiting
A "Working offline" banner shows during an outage. The header lists what is still waiting and what failed, with retry, and a summary appears when you are back online.
Questions to ask any vendor about offline mode
Ask each one in the demo and ask them to show it with the Wi-Fi switched off. Vitels's answers are on this page.
Switch off the Wi-Fi now: which screens still work, and which show an error?
Can the desk add a returning patient to the queue and can the doctor print a prescription with no connection?
How much patient history is on the device: today only, or earlier visits too?
Can I record and print a bill offline, and does it reach the day book later?
When the connection returns, does it sync on its own, and in what order?
Where do I see what has not synced yet, and what happens to an item that fails?
On a shared computer, whose name goes on the work done offline?
What is kept on the device after we sign out, and who on that computer can read it?
When Vitels's offline mode is not enough
We would rather you find this out here than after you have moved your patients in.
- Clinics that need to register many new patients during long outages: new registration needs a connection.
- Clinics that want software that never touches the internet: Vitels is a browser app with records on the server, and sign-in needs a connection.
- Hospitals with IPD, wards, pharmacy stock or lab modules: Vitels is built for outpatient clinics only.
- Clinic groups that need multi-branch: not available today.
Straight answers
Do I need to install anything for offline mode?
No. Vitels runs in the browser. Sign in while you are online and the day pack is downloaded to that device; from then on the queue, consultation, printing and billing keep working if the connection drops.
How long can the clinic work offline?
The day pack covers today's queue and the patients in it, so a clinic can work through an outage that day. Changes wait in the outbox on the device until the connection returns, and the header shows what is waiting.
Can I register a new patient with no internet?
No. New patient registration needs a connection, and so does searching for a patient who is not in the day pack. Note new patients on paper and register them once the line is back.
What happens if the same computer is shared between the doctor and the desk?
Each change made offline carries the name of the person who made it and syncs only under that person's login, so the record shows who did what.
Is patient data left on the computer after we sign out?
If nothing is waiting to sync, signing out clears the cached queue, patients and visits from the device. The drug list stays. If work is still waiting, it stays until it syncs, so nothing is lost.
Does offline mode cost extra?
No. Offline mode is part of core Vitels, which has no licence fee. Vitels Pro at ₹999 per clinic per month adds a second doctor and other multi-doctor features.
Related pages
Clinic management software for Indian clinics
Everything Vitels does, from registration to reports.
ReadWhen the internet drops mid-OPD
A backup kit and a step-by-step plan for the front desk.
ReadOPD management software
Register, token, consult, print, bill and close the day.
ReadSecurity and data
Per-clinic isolation, vendor access and data export.
Read
Switch the Wi-Fi off and try it
Sign in with your mobile and set up the clinic. Once your registration is verified, add a few patients, turn off the connection and run a token, a prescription and a bill. No card, no licence fee.