---
title: Office Tablets | Avara
description: In-facility intake on dedicated tablets — scoped sessions, isolated device setup, and secure one-time form access for patients on-site.
---

## Overview

Many patients complete intake digitally before they arrive — but not everyone can. Some patients are **technologically challenged**, lack a smartphone or reliable internet, or simply prefer to fill out paperwork **in person at your facility**.

**Office tablets** solve that gap. Staff send a **temporary, scoped form session** to a dedicated tablet at the front desk; the patient completes the same **[patient intake forms](/clinical-platform/patient-forms/index.md)** your organization builds in Operations — including **conditional questions**, **electronic signatures**, and **flagged answers** — without printing paper or asking patients to log into the patient portal on their own device.

The result is a native **electronic record** in Avara: no manual scanning, no re-keying, and no lost clipboards.

## Device Requirements

Office tablets work best with a **fresh mobile device**, **preferably a tablet** so patients have a **larger screen** and can read questions and tap answers comfortably.

Because **patients will handle the device**, treat each tablet as a **shared kiosk**, not a personal staff machine:

- **Factory reset** the device before use
- **Strongly recommended:** no browser logins, no personal apps, no email accounts beyond the dedicated tablet inbox, and no access to anything outside the intake workflow

The goal is a **blank slate** — patients should only ever see the form session your staff opens for them, not your clinic’s other tools or data.

### Dedicated Email Per Tablet (Required)

Each office tablet **must** have its **own isolated email address**. This is a **requirement**, not a suggestion — one tablet, one inbox.

For example, a three-tablet front desk might use:

- `front-office-1@your-domain.com`
- `front-office-2@your-domain.com`
- `front-office-3@your-domain.com`

Log that dedicated account into the **email app on the device**. When staff **send a session to the office tablet**, Avara delivers a **one-time link** to that inbox. Staff open the message, the session loads in the browser, and the tablet is ready to hand to the patient.

Keeping inboxes **separate per tablet** prevents session collisions and makes it clear which device is active for which patient.

## In-Facility Workflow

When a patient needs to complete intake **on-site**, follow these steps:

1. **Patient needs to fill out forms in person** at your facility (for example they did not complete intake before arrival, or your workflow requires day-of paperwork).
2. Open the patient’s **appointment** in Avara.
3. Go to **Manage Forms**.
4. Click **Send to Office Tablet** and select the tablet (email) for the device you are using.
5. On the tablet, open the **email app** for that device’s dedicated inbox.
6. Open the **session link** from the email — it launches the form in the browser.
7. **Hand the tablet to the patient** so they can complete the intake.
8. When they submit, they are **done** — responses are saved to the appointment in Avara automatically.

Staff stay in control of when a session starts and which device receives it; patients only interact with the form itself.

## Session Security

Each office tablet session is designed for **shared front-desk use** without exposing other patients’ data.

**Scoped to one appointment** — The session grants access **only to fill out forms for that single appointment**. It is not a general login to the patient chart or portal.

**One-time access** — Session tokens are **single use**. After the patient completes the forms (or the token is consumed), access is **revoked**.

**One active session per tablet** — Each tablet can have **only one active session at a time**. Sending a new session to that tablet **revokes unopened tokens** from prior sends **or interrupts an active session**, so an old link in the inbox cannot be opened later to view another patient’s intake and a patient cannot remain in a stale form after staff start a new session.

Together, these rules protect against **cross-patient access** and reduce risk from a curious or malicious patient browsing the tablet’s email — unopened stale links stop working when superseded, and opened sessions cannot be replayed.

## Why Use Office Tablets

Office tablets bridge digital intake and real-world front-desk workflows:

- **No paper** — Skip printing, scanning, and filing; intake lands directly in the patient record
- **Full form power** — Conditional logic, required fields, signatures, and staff-only flags work the same as portal or pre-visit completion
- **Accessibility** — Patients without devices or comfort with technology can still complete modern intake on-site
- **Staff-controlled** — Front desk initiates each session; patients never need Avara credentials

Configure forms under **Operations** and attach them to [appointment types](/clinical-platform/appointment-types/#intake-forms/index.md) as usual — office tablets are another channel for the same form definitions, not a separate form system.

Office tablet setup is managed under **Operations** by users with **Can Manage Operations**. See [Inviting Users — Can Manage Operations](/clinical-platform/inviting-users/#can-manage-operations/index.md) for permission requirements.

Only users with **Can Manage Appointments** can **launch office tablet form-filling sessions** for patients from an appointment. See [Inviting Users — Can Manage Appointments](/clinical-platform/inviting-users/#can-manage-appointments/index.md) for who typically has this access on your team.