Guide
Paper register or clinic software?
A paper OPD register is fine for a clinic that sees a few patients a day and rarely looks back at old visits. Software starts to pay off when you search for past patients every day, keep medicine stock, give bills, or have more than one person at the desk. Here is an honest comparison, and a free OPD register sheet if paper suits you.
Side by side
| Paper register | Clinic software | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | A register and pens: a few hundred rupees a year | A monthly or yearly fee (DoctorKhata: ₹399 a month) |
| Finding a past patient | Turn pages, often by date. Slow once you have a few hundred patients | Type a mobile number: the patient and family appear in seconds |
| Reading old notes | Depends on handwriting | Always typed and legible |
| Medicine stock and expiry | A separate stock book, counted by hand | Goes down by itself as medicines are dispensed, with expiry alerts |
| Bills | Hand-written receipts | Numbered bills in one tap, with a UPI QR code |
| If something is lost | A wet or lost register is gone | Kept online with nightly backups |
| Who looked at a record | No way to know | Every look and change is logged |
| Without internet or power | Always works | Needs an internet connection |
| Learning | Nothing to learn | An afternoon for most receptionists |
When paper is fine
- You see a handful of patients a day, and rarely need to look back at an old visit.
- There's no pharmacy counter, so no stock to count.
- You work alone, without a receptionist sharing the register.
- Your internet connection is unreliable for most of the day.
When software starts to pay off
- You search the register for returning patients every day.
- You keep medicines, and lose money to expiry or miscounted stock.
- Two or more people work at the desk, or more than one doctor sees patients.
- Patients ask for printed bills or prescriptions, or pay by UPI.
- You need the Schedule H1 register and want it filled in for you.
Questions to ask any clinic software company
- Can I download all my clinic's data, whenever I want, even after I stop paying?
- Is there a charge per doctor, per staff member or per patient?
- Who at your company can see my patients' records? Is every look logged?
- Does it work on a phone as well as a computer?
- What happens to my records if I stop paying?
- Is patient data ever sent to other companies or AI services?
Staying on paper? Free OPD register sheet
A clean register page with the columns most clinics need. Print as many as you like.
Everything you type stays in your browser. Nothing is sent to us or saved.
Preview
Questions
Something else? Write to hello@doctorkhata.in.
Is a paper OPD register legally enough?
Paper records are allowed. What matters is that they're complete, readable and kept safe for as long as your state's rules require.
Does clinic software need the internet?
Online clinic software like DoctorKhata needs an internet connection. Desktop software works offline but is tied to one computer and must be backed up by you.
Can I use paper and software together?
Yes. Many clinics start by putting new patients in the software and keep the old register for older visits.
More free resources
- Free templatePrescription formatWhat must be on a prescription in India, with a free printable pad.Open
- Free templateMedical bill formatWhat a clinic bill needs, with or without GST, with a free template.Open
- Free templateSchedule H1 registerWhat to record for each H1 sale and how long to keep it. Free register.Open
- Free toolUPI QR for your clinicFree tool: make a UPI QR code for your desk, with or without the fee.Open
- GuidePaper to software in a weekA day-by-day checklist to move a small clinic onto software.Read
Set up your clinic in two minutes
Add your clinic name and registration number, and you're ready for the first patient of the day.