Recording Encounters in Light

These articles explain how to record encounters in Light. They describe how to use the software and do not replace professional judgement or the applicable clinical, program or jurisdictional requirements for the service being delivered.

Each encounter is designed to capture the typical information required for that type of service and may include service-specific questions, checklists or clinical instruments. However, every patient and clinical scenario is different, and not every requirement will have a dedicated field within an encounter.

Where additional information needs to be recorded, add it to the encounter notes or as an attachment.

Some fields are prefilled. Light may carry a value in from elsewhere in the record – a customer's details, an immunisation history, a linked dispense record, an earlier encounter, or a value pinned for reuse – and highlights those fields so they can be identified. A prefilled value is a starting point, not a verified one: it reflects what the source held when it was retrieved. Check prefilled values before submitting.

Practitioners remain responsible for ensuring the service is delivered in accordance with the requirements that apply at the time of care, and that the encounter contains a complete and auditable record, whether a value was entered manually or prefilled.

This article is about using the software. Where an encounter draws on a clinical protocol – its screening criteria, eligibility rules, medicines, and referral guidance – how that content is sourced for each jurisdiction, how its currency is shown, and what stays the pharmacist's responsibility is covered separately in How the platform uses clinical protocols and standards.