Clinical Workflows
Practical guides for using PIN in daily clinical work — registering patients, entering data accurately, planning treatment, assessing risk, and communicating with patients.
Patient Registration Process
Enrol a patient in the PIN clinical registry
Patient registration creates a longitudinal record within PIN's clinical registry — linking demographic data, diagnoses, treatments, and outcomes under a single de-identified patient identifier. All records are HIPAA- and GDPR-compliant by design.
1
Navigate to Registry → New Patient
In the Command Center, select Registry from the sidebar and click + New Patient in the top-right corner. This opens the patient registration form.
2
Enter demographic and clinical identifiers
Complete the required fields. All data is stored against a system-generated de-identified PIN Patient ID — no direct identifiers leave your institution.
Year of Birth *
Used for age-based analytics — full date of birth is not stored in the registry
Biological Sex *
Required for pharmacovigilance and outcome stratification
Primary Diagnosis *
ICD-10 code or free-text pain diagnosis (e.g. Chronic low back pain — G89.29)
Referring Clinician
Internal PIN member who referred or co-manages this patient
Institution Site *
The site where care is being delivered — used for multi-site reporting
3
Record consent status
Select the patient's consent tier from the dropdown: Registry only, Registry + Research, or Registry + Research + Re-contact. Consent documentation must be on file at your institution per your IRB protocol. PIN does not store consent forms — only the tier granted.
4
Save and note the PIN Patient ID
Click Register Patient. The system assigns a unique PIN Patient ID (e.g.
PIN-2026-00841). Record this ID in your local EMR or chart for future reference — it is the key to all subsequent data entry for this patient.De-identification PIN stores year of birth, not full DOB. Patient name and contact details are never transmitted to the registry. The PIN Patient ID links records within the platform only — it cannot be reverse-mapped to a real-world identity by PIN staff.
Bulk import If you are onboarding a cohort of existing patients, contact your PIN account manager about the CSV bulk import tool, which allows you to upload up to 500 records at once with a standardised template.
Clinical Data Entry Best Practices
How to enter accurate, complete data in the registry
Consistent, complete data entry is what makes PIN's analytics and pharmacovigilance meaningful. These practices help ensure your entries contribute to the highest-quality evidence base.
1
Open the patient's record
Search by PIN Patient ID or patient initials + year of birth. Always confirm you have the correct patient before entering data — check the primary diagnosis and registration date match.
2
Select the correct data form
PIN uses structured forms organised by encounter type. Select the one matching your current interaction:
Initial Assessment
Baseline pain scores, functional status, medication history, comorbidities
Follow-up Encounter
Interval pain scores (NRS/VAS), treatment response, adverse events, medication changes
Procedure Record
Intervention type, technique, injectate, complications, immediate outcome
Discharge / Exit
Final outcome, reason for discharge, referral destination, patient-reported satisfaction
3
Complete required fields first, then optional
Fields marked * are required for the record to contribute to registry analytics. Optional fields (marked opt) enrich research datasets — fill these when clinically time permits. Never leave a required field blank to bypass validation; use Unknown or Not assessed where clinically appropriate.
4
Use standardised scores
Where the form includes a validated instrument (NRS, BPI, PDI, PGIC, ORT), use the tool as scored — do not round or estimate. PIN's outcome analytics are calibrated to these instruments.
5
Submit and verify
Click Save Entry. The system will flag any validation errors inline. After saving, your entry appears in the patient's timeline with a timestamp and your clinician ID. Entries can be amended within 72 hours of submission — contact support for amendments after that window.
Avoid copy-forward Do not copy-paste a previous encounter entry to save time — this introduces data drift and inflates perceived stability in outcome scores. Each encounter should reflect the clinical reality of that visit.
Auto-save drafts PIN saves a draft every 60 seconds. If you are interrupted mid-entry, your work is preserved — return to the patient record and click Resume Draft.
Treatment Planning Tools
Build and document evidence-based treatment plans
PIN's treatment planning module integrates patient history, registry outcomes, and evidence-based protocol recommendations to help you document a structured, auditable treatment plan.
1
Open Treatment Plan from the patient record
Navigate to the patient's record and click Treatment Plan in the top tab bar. If no plan exists, click + Create Plan. Existing plans show a versioned history so you can compare changes over time.
2
Review suggested protocols
Based on the patient's primary diagnosis and baseline scores, PIN surfaces relevant treatment pathways from the registry's outcomes database. These are suggestions only — clinical judgement always takes precedence. Each suggestion links to the supporting PIN network data (aggregate outcomes for similar patient profiles).
3
Add plan components
Build the plan by adding one or more components from the structured menu:
Pharmacotherapy
Drug name, class, dose, frequency, route, and target duration
Interventional
Procedure type, target anatomy, anticipated frequency, and responsible clinician
Physical / Rehab
Modality, referral destination, frequency, and goals
Psychological
Psychological intervention type, referral, and measurable goals (e.g. PCQ-C target)
Review milestone
Scheduled reassessment date with specified outcome measure to evaluate at that point
4
Set a review date and save
Every plan requires a review date. The system will surface an alert on the patient's record when the review date approaches. Click Save Plan — the plan is versioned and the previous version is archived, not deleted.
5
Export for MDT or referral (optional)
Use Export → PDF Summary to generate a structured treatment plan summary suitable for MDT meetings, referral letters, or patient handouts. The export is formatted for clinical communication — it does not include any PIN-internal IDs.
Outcomes-informed suggestions The protocol suggestions are derived from aggregated de-identified outcomes across the PIN network — not generic guidelines. A suggestion of "SCS before opioid escalation for failed back surgery syndrome" reflects actual PIN member outcomes data, not just NICE or IASP guidance.
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Risk Assessment Workflows
Screen, score, and act on patient risk factors
PIN's risk assessment module consolidates validated screening tools for opioid misuse risk, aberrant behaviour, and patient safety — integrated directly into the clinical workflow so results are captured in the registry alongside treatment data.
1
Open Risk Assessment from the patient record
In the patient record, click the Risk tab. Previously completed assessments are listed with dates, scores, and risk tier. Click + New Assessment to begin.
2
Select the appropriate tool
Choose the validated instrument that matches your clinical question. PIN supports:
ORT
Opioid Risk Tool — 5-item screen for opioid misuse risk in chronic pain patients. Recommended at baseline before initiating opioid therapy.
DIRE
Diagnosis, Intractability, Risk, Efficacy — suitability scoring for long-term opioid therapy
SOAPP-R
Screener and Opioid Assessment for Patients with Pain — 24-item tool for aberrant behaviour risk
COMM
Current Opioid Misuse Measure — 17-item tool for monitoring patients already on opioid therapy
PHQ-9 / GAD-7
Depression and anxiety screening — important comorbidity flags for pain management outcomes
3
Complete the instrument and submit
Answer each question in the on-screen form. PIN calculates the total score and risk tier automatically on submission. The result is saved to the patient's record with your clinician ID and timestamp.
4
Review the risk tier and follow recommended actions
PIN maps scores to three risk tiers with suggested clinical responses:
| Risk Tier | ORT Example | Suggested Action |
|---|---|---|
| ● Low | 0–3 | Standard monitoring — reassess at 6–12 month intervals |
| ● Moderate | 4–7 | Increased monitoring frequency; consider urine drug screening; document plan |
| ● High | 8+ | Specialist addiction medicine referral recommended; consider opioid therapy alternatives; mandatory documentation |
Scores are advisory, not prescriptive Risk tool results inform but do not replace clinical judgement. A high ORT score does not mandate withholding therapy — it flags the need for enhanced safeguards and closer monitoring. Always document your clinical rationale alongside the score.
Patient Communication Features
Send messages, care plans, and outcome questionnaires
PIN's patient communication module enables HIPAA-compliant messaging, care plan sharing, and remote collection of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) — all linked directly to the patient's registry record.
1
Confirm the patient has a communication profile
Communication features require the patient to have a Patient Portal account linked to their PIN record. If no portal account exists, click Invite to Portal in the patient record — this sends an onboarding email to the address on file. The invitation expires after 7 days.
2
Send a secure message
Open the patient record and click Message. Compose your message in the editor — formatted text, attachments (PDF only, max 5 MB), and links to care resources are supported. All messages are encrypted end-to-end. The patient receives an email notification with a link to read the message inside the secure portal — message content is never sent directly in the notification email.
3
Share a care plan document
From the treatment plan view, click Share with Patient. The system generates a plain-language version of the treatment plan (clinical jargon is simplified automatically) and delivers it to the patient's portal inbox. The patient can acknowledge receipt and leave a comment.
4
Send a PROM questionnaire
Click Send Questionnaire and choose the instrument (e.g. BPI, PDI, PGIC, NRS diary). Set a response deadline and optional reminder. When the patient completes the questionnaire, responses are automatically imported into their registry record — no manual data entry required.
5
Track read receipts and responses
The Communications tab on each patient record shows the status of every message and questionnaire: Sent, Delivered, Read, Responded, or Overdue. Overdue questionnaires trigger an automatic reminder after 48 hours unless you disable this per-patient.
Communication consent PIN's communication features may only be used for patients who have consented to electronic communication as part of their care. Verify consent is documented in your local system before enabling the portal for any patient.
All set You now have a complete picture of PIN's clinical workflow tools — from registering a new patient through to ongoing remote outcome monitoring. These workflows contribute to the network's shared evidence base with every entry.