Incident Reports

1. What an incident report is

An Incident Report (IR) is a formal record of an event that needs careful documentation — anything from a minor scrape to a serious medication error. They're separate from daily tracking entries because they require more detail, more witnesses, and usually a review by a Manager. When to file an IR Common triggers across most organizations: - Injuries — falls, hits, scratches, bites, anything requiring first aid. - Behavioral incidents — significant aggression, self-injury, property damage, elopement. - Medication errors — wrong med, wrong dose, missed dose with consequences. - Allegations — complaints, abuse allegations, neglect concerns. - Near-misses — events that almost caused harm but didn't. - Property damage — significant damage to belongings or facility. - Restraints / restrictive practices — anything subject to regulatory reporting. Your organization will have its own policy about what triggers an IR. When in doubt, file one — it's better to over-report than under-report. What's in an IR Incident reports collect (depending on your configured types): - Date and time of the incident (separate from when the report was filed). - Incident type (fall, behavior, medication error, etc.). - Description — narrative of what happened. - Witnesses — names of staff and others present. - Injuries — body diagram, severity, treatment given. - Photos and videos — supporting media (with retention rules). - Notifications — who was notified, when (family, supervisor, GP, regulators). - Follow-up actions — what was done to address the incident, what's planned next. The IR workflow A typical IR moves through three states: 1. Draft — the report has been started, not yet submitted. The author can edit freely. 2. Submitted — the report has been finalized by the author. Reviewers are notified. 3. Reviewed / Approved — designated reviewers (Managers) have signed off. Some organizations also have an Amendment state for edits to already-submitted reports. Who can do what - Anyone with Track IRs permission can create an IR. This is typically Staff, Managers, and sometimes Guests. - Anyone with Review IRs permission can review and approve. Usually Managers. - The person who created an IR usually can't approve their own — that defeats the purpose. What the dashboard does with IRs - The Incident Reports tab on the dashboard lists every IR for the profile or organization, with filters by type, status, date range. - The audit log shows IR creation, submission, review, and any edits. - IR data feeds into trend reports — frequency by type, severity over time. Notifications When an IR is submitted, BEHCA sends notifications to designated recipients: - The Billing user. - Managers in the organization. - (NOT regular Staff or Guests — they're explicitly excluded from submission notifications.) This is configurable, but the default is to keep IR notifications focused on management. What's not in an IR - Routine behavior tracking belongs in Daily Tracking, not IRs. Don't open an IR every time someone yells. - Medication administration goes in MAR, not IRs. Open an IR only when there's an actual error. - Personal complaints from staff about coworkers go through HR, not IRs. Common questions - Can I retroactively file an IR for a past incident? — Yes. Set the Date and time of incident to when it actually happened. - Do I need to upload photos for every IR? — No. Photos and videos are optional, but recommended for injuries and property damage. - Are IRs visible to families/Guests? — Depends on your organization's settings and the Guest's permissions. Talk to your Manager. - What if I made the IR by mistake? — Drafts can be deleted. Submitted IRs can be amended (with audit trail) but typically not deleted.

2. Creating an incident report

Anyone with Track IRs permission can create an incident report. Reports start in Draft status — you can save and come back to it before submitting. Where to start On the web 1. Sign in at app.behca.com (US) or au.behca.com (Australia). 2. Pick the right profile in the top bar. 3. Open Incident Reports from the main menu. 4. Click New Incident Report. On mobile 1. Open the IR tab. 2. Tap + (Add Incident Report). Filling in the report The fields you'll see depend on the incident types your organization has configured. The most common ones: Basics - Incident type — pick from your organization's list (Fall, Aggression, Medication Error, etc.). See Configuring incident types. - Date and time of incident — when it actually happened, not when you're writing it now. Backdating is normal here. - Location — where the incident occurred (room, area, address). Description - What happened — narrative of the event in plain language. Be factual, not interpretive. ("She yelled and pushed the chair over" rather than "She had a meltdown".) - What was happening immediately before — context that may have triggered the event. - What was done in response — staff actions, interventions, first aid. - Outcome — how it ended, current state. Witnesses Add the names of people present. Some configurations let you tag staff users from your team list (so the IR is linked to their record). Injuries If anyone was injured: - Body diagram — click on a body diagram to mark injury locations. - Injury type — bruise, cut, scratch, etc. - Severity — typically a scale (none / minor / moderate / serious / severe). - Treatment given — first aid, GP visit, A&E, etc. - Photos — see Adding photos and videos. Notifications A list of who was notified about the incident, when, and how: - Family / next of kin. - GP / clinician. - Manager / supervisor. - Regulator (NDIS, state department, etc.). - Police. Some incident types require certain notifications by law — your organization will have configured these. Follow-up actions - Immediate actions — what was done right away. - Planned actions — what's planned to prevent recurrence. - Review date — when the IR will be revisited. Saving as a draft You don't have to fill in everything at once. Click Save Draft to come back later. Drafts are visible to you and your Managers but not yet "live" — they don't trigger notifications. Submitting When the IR is complete, click Submit. See Submitting and the review workflow for what happens next. Tips for good IRs - Write quickly while events are fresh. A draft started during your shift, finished afterwards, is much more accurate than a full report written days later. - Stick to facts. Save interpretations for the Outcome or follow-up sections. Most regulators want a clear factual account. - Quote, don't paraphrase. If someone said something significant, put it in quotes. - Use the body diagram. A picture really does say a thousand words for injury location and severity. - Don't blame. Frame staff actions in terms of what was done, not who was at fault. The review workflow is for that. Common questions - The incident type I need isn't in the list. — Ask a Manager to add it. See Configuring incident types. - Can I copy details from a previous IR? — No, each IR is its own record. But you can refer to a previous IR by number in your description. - What if I'm not sure the event warrants an IR? — File one. Drafts can be discarded if not needed. - Can a Guest file an IR? — Only if their Track IRs permission is on. Most Guests are view-only.3

4. Submitting and the review workflow

Submitting an Incident Report (IR) takes it from draft to "officially on the record". From there, designated reviewers (usually Managers) sign off, possibly notify external parties, and close the loop. Before submitting Make sure you've covered the basics: - ✅ Date and time of incident is correct (when it actually happened). - ✅ Description is complete and factual. - ✅ Witnesses are listed. - ✅ Injuries (if any) are documented with severity and treatment. - ✅ Photos / videos are uploaded and processed. - ✅ Notifications to family / clinicians / regulators are recorded. - ✅ Follow-up actions are noted. A submitted IR is much harder to change than a draft. If you're unsure whether something belongs, save as a draft and consult your Manager. Submitting on the web 1. Open the IR. 2. Click Submit at the bottom of the form. 3. A confirmation appears. Click Confirm Submit. The IR's status changes from Draft to Submitted. Notifications go to designated reviewers. Submitting on mobile 1. Open the IR. 2. Tap Submit. 3. Confirm. Who gets notified on submission By default: - Billing user of the organization. - Managers of the organization. By design, regular Staff and Guests are not notified of every IR submission — only managers are. This keeps notification noise down for the broader team. Notifications come through: - Email to each recipient. - Push notification to the mobile app (if installed). - In-app bell icon on the website. The review workflow After submission: 1. Each designated reviewer receives a notification. 2. They open the IR, read it, check photos and videos. 3. They click Review (or Approve / Sign Off). 4. They can add review notes — comments to the author, follow-up requests, sign-off context. 5. The IR's status changes from Submitted to Reviewed. Some organizations require multiple reviewers; some require only one. The settings live in the organization's IR configuration. Tracking review status In the IR list (Incident Reports tab on the dashboard), each IR shows a status badge: - Draft — work-in-progress, not submitted. - Submitted — awaiting review. - Reviewed — fully approved. - Amended — was reviewed, then edited (creates a new version). Filter by status to find reports needing attention. Amending a submitted IR If you discover a mistake after submission: 1. Open the IR. 2. Click Amend. 3. Make corrections. 4. The IR moves to a new version — old version is preserved in history. 5. Reviewers are re-notified to approve the amendment. You can't outright delete a submitted IR. The audit trail is the point. What reviewers should look for - Is the description factual and complete? - Do the photos/videos support the description? - Are the right notifications recorded? - Are follow-up actions adequate to prevent recurrence? - Is anyone implicated in a way that needs HR or legal review? - Does the incident type / severity require external reporting (NDIS, state department, etc.)? If something needs revision, the reviewer can leave notes and contact the author directly. Common questions - I submitted an IR by mistake. — Use Amend to add a note explaining; you usually can't outright delete. Contact support for genuine delete-needed cases. - My Manager hasn't reviewed an IR I submitted. — Send them a direct message. The notification system isn't a substitute for human follow-up. - Can I add a comment to a submitted IR without amending? — Yes, comments don't create new versions. Use them for clarifications. - Will the family see the IR? — Only if they have Guest access to the profile and your organization's IR-visibility settings allow it. Talk to your Manager.

3. Adding photos and videos

Photos and videos make incident reports much clearer for reviewers and clinicians. BEHCA supports both, with sensible limits and processing. What you can upload - Photos — JPG, PNG, HEIC. - Videos — .mp4, .webm, .mov. (Older formats like .avi aren't supported.) - Maximum video size: 100 MB. Uploading from the web 1. Open the IR (or start a new one). 2. Find the Photos and Videos section. 3. Click Upload (or drag and drop files into the zone). 4. Wait for the upload to finish. A thumbnail or preview appears. Uploading from mobile 1. Open the IR. 2. Tap Add Photo or Add Video. 3. Choose: - Camera — take a new photo or video right now. - Library — pick existing media from your phone. 4. The upload runs in the background. You'll see progress and can keep editing the IR. Video processing — what happens after upload Videos are processed to keep file sizes manageable: 1. You upload the video. Status: Processing. 2. BEHCA downscales to 720p (or compresses on the device if your video is larger than 100 MB). 3. When complete, status changes to Ready and you'll see a notification (web push or in-app banner). 4. The compressed video is what plays back to viewers. If processing fails, status changes to Failed. The original file is still playable — re-upload to try compression again. Compression takes anywhere from a few seconds (short clips) to a few minutes (long clips on slow connections). You can keep editing the IR while it processes. Watching a video later Videos are played inside BEHCA's viewer. They can't easily be downloaded — there's no download button, and right-click is disabled. This is intentional, to reduce the chance of sensitive footage getting redistributed. The "no download" guard is best-effort, not absolute. Don't put video into BEHCA assuming it's impossible to extract — a determined viewer with technical knowledge can always grab it. The guard reduces casual mishandling. Photo guidelines - Injury photos — well-lit, close-up, with a coin or ruler for scale if helpful. - Scene photos — wide enough to show context, but anonymise people in the background where possible. - Avoid identifying others. If staff or other residents are in the frame, consider whether they consented or should be cropped out. - Multiple angles help — a single photo can be misleading. Video guidelines - Keep them short. Reviewers are time-poor. 30 seconds focused on the relevant moment is more useful than 10 minutes. - Hold the camera steady. Stabilized video is clearer. - Vertical or horizontal both work. BEHCA preserves orientation. - Audio is recorded. Keep it factual. Don't make accusatory comments while filming. Storage and privacy - Photos and videos are stored in BEHCA's secure cloud storage. - They're visible only to people with access to the IR (the profile's team, Managers, designated reviewers). - They're retained as long as the IR is on the system. - They're included in the IR's PDF export — see Exporting an incident report PDF. Common questions - Why is my video stuck on "Processing"? — Big videos take a while. If it's been hours, contact support. Most clips finish in under 5 minutes. - Can I edit a video after uploading? — No, videos are stored as-is (after compression). Trim or edit on your device first if needed. - What if the file is too big? — On mobile, BEHCA tries to compress files over 100 MB on the device before upload. If that fails, trim the video on your phone first. - Can I delete a photo or video from an IR? — Yes, until the IR is submitted. After submission, deletion is part of the amendment workflow.

5. Configuring incident types

Every organization has different incidents to track, with different fields and notification requirements. Incident types let Managers define the categories that appear in the IR form. Configuring incident types is web-only and Manager-only. What an incident type controls For each incident type, you can configure: - Name — what staff pick from the dropdown (e.g. Fall, Aggression, Medication Error). - Description / definition — guidance for staff about when to use it. - Severity scale — the options shown (Minor / Moderate / Serious / Severe, or custom). - Notification rules — who must be notified when this type of IR is submitted. - Required fields — which fields are mandatory (description, witnesses, follow-up, etc.). - Custom fields — your own questions specific to this incident type. The right configuration makes IR filing faster and prevents missing information. Where to configure 1. Sign in at app.behca.com (US) or au.behca.com (Australia) as a Manager. 2. Open Incident Reports → Configuration (or Manage → Incident Types, depending on UI version). 3. You'll see the list of types currently set up. Adding a new incident type 1. Click New Type. 2. Fill in the name and description. 3. Configure required fields, severity, and notifications. 4. Save. The new type appears in the IR creation form for all team members immediately. Suggested incident types Most organizations have at least these: - Fall — accidental, with or without injury. - Behavioral Incident — aggression, self-injury, property damage. - Medication Error — wrong dose, wrong med, missed dose. - Allegation — abuse / neglect / complaints. - Near Miss — almost happened, was averted. - Property Damage — significant damage to belongings or facility. - Restrictive Practice — restraint or restriction used. - Elopement — person left the premises unauthorized. - Death — sometimes called "Critical Incident". - Other — catch-all for anything that doesn't fit. Your industry and regulator may require additional types — check your local guidance. Editing an existing type 1. Click the type's name in the list. 2. Edit fields. 3. Save. Changes affect new IRs going forward. Existing IRs of that type retain their original configuration — you don't retroactively change history. Removing a type You can usually deactivate a type so it no longer appears in the dropdown for new IRs, while keeping existing IRs intact. Outright deletion is risky — past IRs would lose their type — and is usually disabled. Custom fields For specialized tracking, you can add custom fields to a type — text, number, dropdown, checkbox. Examples: - Fall: Did the person hit their head? (Yes/No) - Behavior: Was a restraint used? (Yes/No, with details) - Medication Error: Was the GP notified? (Yes/No, with notification time) Custom fields are powerful but can overwhelm staff. Aim for the smallest set that captures what's needed. Notifications by type Different types may need different notifications: - Falls / Injuries — notify family + GP. - Behavioral — notify behavior clinician + family. - Critical / Serious — notify regulator + senior management. - Medication errors — notify prescriber + pharmacy. Configure these per type so staff don't have to remember each rule. Tips - Start with the standard types above and customize from experience. - Don't proliferate types. 5–10 well-designed types is better than 30 niche ones — staff have to remember which to use. - Review annually. As your service evolves and regulations change, refresh the configuration. - Pilot a new type before rolling it out to the whole team. Make a few sample IRs to test the form. Common questions - Can a Staff member request a new type? — Yes — they should ask a Manager. Only Managers can add or edit types. - Will old IRs migrate to a new type definition? — No. They keep the configuration that existed when they were created. - Is there a global library of incident types? — Not currently. Each organization configures its own. - Can I bulk-import types from another organization? — Not currently. Set up types manually.

6. Exporting an incident report PDF

Most regulators, GPs, and family members want a clean printed or emailed PDF of an IR. BEHCA generates one on demand. Where to export On the web 1. Open the Incident Reports tab. 2. Find the IR you want to export. 3. Open it. 4. Click Export PDF (or Download PDF). 5. The PDF opens in a new tab and downloads to your device. On mobile PDF export is web-only for now. If you need a PDF urgently, sign in to the website on your phone's browser. What's in the PDF The PDF includes everything from the IR form, formatted cleanly: - Profile name and basic details. - Incident type, date, time, location. - Full narrative description. - Witnesses. - Injuries (with body diagram). - Notifications log. - Follow-up actions. - Photos and videos (photos shown inline; videos as a "video attached" reference, since PDFs can't play video). - Reviewer signatures and notes. - Audit trail (when it was created, submitted, reviewed, by whom). Submitted IRs include a "Submitted" stamp; reviewed IRs include a "Reviewed" stamp. Common uses - Clinician handover — email to GP, psychiatrist, behavior analyst. - Family communication — share with parents/guardians who don't have BEHCA access. - Regulatory reporting — submit to NDIS, state department, etc. - Internal records — print and file in paper records if your organization requires. - Insurance / legal — keep alongside other care records. Sending a PDF securely PDFs can contain sensitive information (medical, legal, identifying). When you share: - Email: use your organization's normal secure-email policy. - Printing: don't leave printed IRs in shared spaces. - Storing: keep on encrypted devices, under access control. BEHCA's role ends when the PDF leaves the system — onward handling is your responsibility. What if the PDF looks wrong? - Photos missing or sideways: check the photo orientation in the IR. The PDF preserves orientation. - Missing fields: confirm the IR has those fields filled in. Empty fields are skipped. - Wrong layout: PDFs are laid out responsively. If a layout problem persists, contact support. Re-exporting after changes Each export is generated on the fly, so re-exporting after an amendment gives you the new version. The audit trail in the PDF shows when amendments were made. Common questions - Can I customize the PDF layout / template? — Not currently. The layout is standardized. - Can I export multiple IRs at once into a single PDF? — Not currently. Export each IR individually. - Will the PDF include sensitive data? — Yes, by design — that's the point. Treat it as a confidential document. - Can a family Guest export the PDF? — Yes if they have access to view the IR. Permissions follow viewability. - What about a CSV export of all IRs? — Yes, see CSV exports. The CSV is high-level (one row per IR) and doesn't include photos.