Secure Messaging
Qliva's Secure Messaging module provides encrypted, in-app communication between practitioners and patients. Messages stay within the Qliva platform — they are not sent as standard email and are stored as part of the patient's clinical record.
What secure messaging is for
Secure messaging is designed for:
- Answering non-urgent clinical questions between appointments
- Sharing information (results summaries, instructions, resources)
- Administrative coordination (appointment requests, prescription requests, billing queries)
- Following up after a consultation
It is not a replacement for a formal clinical consultation. Complex clinical matters, medication reviews, and new presenting complaints should be handled in a scheduled appointment.
Secure messaging is not appropriate for urgent or emergency situations. If a patient reports acute symptoms or an emergency in a message, call them immediately and advise them to seek emergency care if needed. Document your response in a clinical note.
Finding the inbox
Navigate to Messages in the left sidebar to open your secure messaging inbox.
The inbox shows all active message threads across your patients, sorted by most recently active. Unread threads are highlighted with a blue indicator.
Thread types
When a patient initiates a message thread from the portal, they select a thread type that helps you triage the message quickly. The available thread types are:
| Thread Type | Typical use |
|---|---|
| General Enquiry | General questions not covered by other categories |
| Results Question | Questions about recent pathology results |
| Prescription Request | Requesting a repeat prescription or script change |
| Appointment Request | Requesting a specific appointment slot or urgent booking |
| Symptom Update | Updating you on how they are feeling between appointments |
| Admin/Billing | Invoice queries, account questions, Medicare rebates |
Your clinic admin can customise the available thread types under Settings.
Starting a thread from the practitioner side
You can initiate a message thread with any patient:
- Open the patient record
- Click New Message (top right of the patient record)
- Select a thread type
- Write your message
- Click Send
The patient receives a notification in their portal and, if configured, an email notification that a new message is waiting.
Replying to messages
Open a thread from the Messages inbox. The full conversation history is displayed in chronological order.
Type your reply in the text field at the bottom and click Send. Your message is delivered immediately.
Attachments
Both practitioners and patients can attach files to messages:
- Practitioners can attach: pathology PDFs, prescription PDFs, clinical documents, any file
- Patients can attach: images, documents, and other files from their device
To attach a file as a practitioner:
- Click the attachment icon in the message compose area
- Select the file from your device or from the patient's records
- The file is attached to the message and visible to the recipient
Attachments are stored securely within Qliva and are accessible only to the patient and authorised practitioners at the clinic.
Practitioner notifications
When a patient sends a new message or replies to an existing thread, you receive an in-app notification (the notification bell in the top nav). The Messages sidebar item also shows an unread count badge.
Reading and archiving threads
Once a conversation is resolved, mark the thread as Resolved using the button in the thread header. Resolved threads move to the Resolved tab in your inbox and no longer show as active.
Threads are never deleted — they remain as part of the patient's clinical record and can be reviewed at any time.
Messaging and clinical records
All message content is stored as part of the patient's clinical file. This is important from a medico-legal perspective: what you write in Qliva messages carries the same weight as other documented clinical communication.
Write in a professional clinical tone. Avoid informal abbreviations or ambiguous instructions.
Enabling and disabling messaging
The messaging feature can be toggled on or off for the entire clinic by your admin under Settings → Messaging. If messaging is disabled, patients cannot send messages via the portal and the Messages inbox does not appear in the sidebar.
Last updated 2026-05-15