Quick Start — Every-Shift Checklist
| # | When | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shift start | Dashboard — review stats + pending items |
| 2 | Supplies arrive | Supply Station → Receive (enter item + quantity) |
| 3 | Low-stock alert | Restock or request inter-station transfer |
| 4 | Blood management | Blood Bank → Check expiry → Handle near-expiry units |
| 5 | Shift handoff | ISBAR handoff + Dashboard screenshot |
| 6 | End of day | Insert USB → one-tap backup |
Inventory Management
Receiving Supplies (Supply Station PWA)
When supplies arrive at the station, the first task is receiving them into inventory. Open the Supply Station PWA:
- Select "Receive"
- Enter the item code and name
- Enter the quantity
- Confirm submission
Once received, the stock count is immediately reflected across all front-end systems — pharmacy, blood bank, etc. If a pharmacist sees zero stock for a medication, it usually means the receiving step hasn't been done yet.
Stocktaking
Perform a stocktake at least once per shift or once daily. No special mode is needed — go to the inventory list page in the Supply Station PWA and compare physical counts against system counts.
If discrepancies are found, adjust the system quantity directly and record the reason (e.g., "damaged and scrapped" or "stocktake correction").
Handling Low Stock
When an item falls below the safety threshold, the Dashboard shows an alert. Two options:
- Restock — if a supply channel is available, log the restock request
- Inter-station transfer — if another station has surplus, use the Station Management PWA to initiate a transfer request
Transfer workflow: the station manager selects "Transfer" in Station Management → chooses source and destination stations → selects items and quantities → submits. After the receiving station confirms, both sides' inventory counts update automatically.
Daily Blood Bank Operations
Blood products have expiration dates. At the start of every shift, blood bank staff should check expiry status in the Blood Bank PWA.
Expiry Tracking
The Blood Bank PWA automatically flags:
- Units expiring within 48 hours (yellow warning)
- Already expired units (red — cannot be issued)
Receiving New Blood Products
When blood arrives at the station:
- Select "Receive Blood"
- Enter blood type, unit count, and expiration date
- Record the source (supply depot, field donation, or inter-station transfer)
- Confirm receipt
Walking Blood Bank
If the station has activated the WBB module, on-site donors can be registered. The system tracks each donor's last donation date and automatically blocks repeat donations within 56 days.
Equipment Management
The Equipment Management PWA tracks three states:
| Status | Meaning | Available Actions |
|---|---|---|
| AVAILABLE | Ready for use | Can be checked out |
| IN USE | Currently in use | Awaiting return |
| MAINTENANCE | Under maintenance/sterilization | Mark complete to return to AVAILABLE |
The cardinal rule of equipment management: every checkout must have a return, and every return must have a sterilization record. This is the core requirement of the SPD cycle.
Shift Handoffs
Handoffs are critical to care quality. The system supports ISBAR-format handoff records:
- I — Identify: Outgoing staff, incoming staff, time
- S — Situation: Current inpatient count, pending tasks
- B — Background: Major events during the shift
- A — Assessment: Patients requiring special attention
- R — Recommendation: Priorities for the next shift
During handoff, take a Dashboard screenshot. The Dashboard shows the shift's statistics: patients treated, medications dispensed, inventory status. Save the screenshot to your phone as a written handoff record.
Data Protection and Safety
USB Backup (DR Lifeboat)
Perform a USB backup at least once daily. Steps:
- Prepare a USB drive formatted as FAT32 or exFAT
- Insert it into the device's USB port
- The system auto-detects it and offers a one-tap export
- Remove the USB after export completes
The backup contains all patient records, inventory logs, and handoff notes. If the device is damaged, this USB can restore everything onto a replacement device.
USB handling rules:
- Store completed backups in a designated locked cabinet — do not carry them around
- Rotate USB drives daily (keep at least 3 on hand)
- USBs contain complete patient health information (PHI) — loss equals a data breach
Dual-Device Sync (Dock Sync)
If the station has two devices (e.g., HC01 and HC02), connecting them via ethernet cable triggers automatic data synchronization. This provides redundancy — if one device fails, the other has a complete copy of all data.
During sync, the status LED blinks green. When complete, a single beep sounds, then the LED returns to solid green.
PHI Considerations
All data on the system contains protected health information (PHI). Basic rules:
- Do not photograph screens showing patient data and share via messaging apps
- Do not let non-staff members access any PWA — every role can see patient information
- Treat USB backups as medical records — loss must be reported
Power Loss Recovery
If the device loses power (outage, dead battery), after reconnecting:
- All services restart automatically (~90 seconds)
- No data is lost — SQLite WAL mode protects all in-flight writes
- All connected phones just need to refresh the page to resume
No manual intervention needed. Wait for the green LED and everything is back.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does data really survive a power cut? Yes. SQLite's WAL (Write-Ahead Logging) mode ensures every write hits the journal file first. Even during an abrupt power loss, the database recovers on restart. This is database-level protection that requires no user action.
USB backup fails? Confirm the USB is formatted as FAT32 or exFAT. NTFS format may not be writable on some systems. If the format is correct and it still fails, try a different USB drive.
Sent an inter-station transfer but the other station didn't receive it? Both stations need to be on the same network (same device WiFi or connected via Dock Sync). If there's no connectivity, the transfer request is queued locally and sent automatically when the connection is restored.
Dashboard numbers don't match physical counts? Dashboard numbers come from the database. If physical counts differ from system counts, perform a stocktake first, then record adjustments in the system. Don't ignore discrepancies.
Series Navigation
This is the final article in the xGrid Field Station Operations Guide series. Full series:
- Three Minutes to Online — From Power-On to a Fully Operational Station
- The Patient Journey — From Triage to Discharge
- Surgery and Transfusion — Managing Critical Cases
- LSCO Battlefield Medicine — A Field Medic's Operations Manual
- Daily Operations — Inventory, Blood Bank, and Shift Handoffs (this article)
With all five articles, you know how to boot up, treat patients, run surgery, manage the front line, and handle daily operations. Print out the checklists and tape them next to the device. When you really need them, that sheet of paper will be more useful than any document.