Understand clinical signing authority
Give a doctor the right to sign notes, and see who can sign which note.
Purpose
In Keel, signing a consultation note needs prescribing rights. A doctor's role alone isn't enough. The clinic Owner turns prescribing on for each doctor on Team.
Before you start
only the clinic Owner can give or remove prescribing. A doctor can't turn it on
themselves.
prescribing can be given only to someone whose role is Doctor or Owner.
an invite never includes prescribing, so every new doctor needs this step.
Steps
Step 1: Grant prescribing
Doin the sidebar, select Team. Select ⋯ next to the doctor, then Grant prescribing.
You'll seecan prescribe next to their name.
Sothey can now sign their own consultation notes.
Step 2: Check it on their profile
Doask the doctor to open Settings, then My profile.
You'll seePrescribing marked Enabled, with Granted by your Owner.
Step 3: Revoke prescribing
Doon Team, select ⋯ next to the doctor, then Revoke prescribing.
You'll seecan prescribe is no longer next to their name.
Sothey can't sign notes any more, and anyone covering for them through a sign-off delegation can't
sign on their behalf either.
Result
Who can sign a note:
| Who | Which notes | Asked for a reason? |
|---|---|---|
| The doctor who ran the consultation, with prescribing | Their own | no |
| An Owner with prescribing | Any doctor's note at this centre (Sign off as Principal backup) | yes |
| A doctor covering through an active sign-off delegation, with prescribing | The notes of the doctor who set it up (Sign off for that doctor) | yes |
| Anyone without prescribing | None | — |
the same rules apply to correcting a signed note.
If it doesn't work
Hover over the greyed sign key to see why.
- If you see: Signing a note needs prescribing rights on your profile. Ask your clinic owner to turn them on.Grant prescribing (step 1)
- If you see: This is [doctor]'s note. Ask them to sign it, or your clinic owner can.The doctor who ran it signs, or an Owner with prescribing signs as backup. For planned cover, see Set up and end sign-off delegation.
- If you see: This note has no consulting doctor on record. Only a clinic owner with prescribing rights can sign it.An Owner with prescribing signs it as backup
- Working: The sign key is activeDone
Limits
Front Desk and Finance can't be given prescribing.
a doctor sets up their own cover in Settings under Sign-off delegations. The Owner can't
set it up for them.
an Owner signs other doctors' notes only if they have prescribing too.
Checked against the Keel product source and in the live product on 2026-10-09. The can prescribe marker on Team, Prescribing on My profile, and Sign-off delegations in Settings were observed. Granting or revoking prescribing, signing a note and the greyed sign key messages were not exercised.