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Set up a workflow notification

Steps to create and configure a workflow notification, from creating the activity through to testing in a non live environment.

Written by Connor Baeza

Configure workflow notifications in Rio through a seven step process in the Message Generator. Each step builds on the last, work through them in order to ensure your notification is correctly set up before going live.

⚠️Important: System Administrator access is required to complete all steps in this guide. Workflow changes take effect immediately for all users. Always configure and test in a non live environment before deploying to production.

Before you start

Before creating a workflow notification, make sure you have the following ready:

  • The clinical event that should trigger the notification (e.g. new referral saved, appointment outcome not recorded).

  • The intended recipients and how they should be identified (named user, allocated Healthcare Professional (HCP), or a dynamic list).

  • The summary text to display in the To-Do List (maximum 150 characters).

  • The URL of the Rio screen the notification should link to.

  • The priority level for the notification (1 = High, 2 = Medium, 3 = Routine).

  • An XML template created and saved in the Message Generator.

  • Reports for template creation steps.

Step one: Create the workflow activity

Every workflow notification begins with a workflow activity, a named configuration record that represents the notification.

  1. Go to Rio Configuration, then open Message Generator Activities.
    Result: The Message Generator Activities page opens, listing all existing workflow activities.

  2. Click Create New Activity.
    Result: The new activity configuration screen opens.

  3. Enter a Code a unique identifier for this activity (maximum 10 characters, letters and numbers only, no spaces). Use a consistent naming convention, for example: REF_NEW, APT_OVR, UC_ATT.

  4. Enter a Description a human readable name for the activity, for example: New Referral to Team To-Do Notification. This is displayed in the Message Generator Activities list.

  5. Ensure User Defined Activity is selected.

  6. Click Save.
    Result: The new activity is created and appears in the Message Generator Activities list.

⚠️Important: The activity Code cannot be changed after saving, it is used as the primary key throughout the workflow engine. Choose it carefully. Do not modify system defined activities.

Step two: Configure the TODOITEM action

With the activity created, add a TODOITEM action to it. This tells Rio to deliver a To Do List notification when the activity fires.

  1. Open the activity you created in Step one from the Message Generator Activities list.

  2. Click Add Action.
    Result: The action configuration screen opens.

  3. Select TODOITEM from the Action Type pick list.

  4. Set the Activity Order. If this is the only action on the activity, set this to one.

  5. Enter the Template File Name. The name of the XML template that defines the notification content (summary text, URL, and priority). The template must already exist before referencing it here.

  6. Set Has Recipients to True.

  7. Set Send To MHS as appropriate. For standard To Do List notifications, set Send To MHS to False

  8. Click Save.
    Result: The TODOITEM action is added to the activity.

📌Note: Your XML template should define the Summary text. Max 150 characters, including patient name and action required. The URL deep link to the relevant Rio screen, the Priority value, and if needed a PopupTime for urgent notifications.

Step three: Configure conditions (optional)

Conditions allow you to control when a workflow action fires. Without a condition, the action fires every time the triggering event occurs. With a condition, it only fires when the specified criteria are met. For example, only for urgent referrals, or only for specific teams.

When to use conditions:

  • Use a table and column check for simple field value comparisons (e.g. only fire for urgent referrals).

  • Use a bespoke SQL condition for complex logic (e.g. only fire for referrals to specific teams, or only during business hours).

  • Use Stop If Match to create an exclusion. For example, do not fire if the referral is already allocated.

  • Leave the condition blank to fire on every occurrence of the triggering event.

The key fields to configure for a condition are:

Check Table

The Rio table to evaluate (e.g. AmsReferral)

Check Column

The column in that table (e.g. Urgency)

Check Type

The data type of the value (Integer, Real, or String)

Check To Do

The comparison operator (Equal, Not Equal, Greater Than, etc.)

Check Value

The value to compare against (e.g. URGENT)

Step four: Configure recipients

Recipients determine who receives the To Do List notification when the action fires. Multiple recipients can be configured, each receives their own notification.

  1. Open the TODOITEM action you configured in Step 2.

  2. Click Add Recipient.
    Result: The recipient configuration screen opens.

  3. Select the Action Target from the pick list. This determines how the recipient is identified:

    • Default User: A named Rio user (e.g. a team coordinator who always receives new referral notifications)

    • Referring Healthcare Professional (HCP): Derived from the referral record

    • Allocated Healthcare Professional (HCP): Derived from the referral or appointment allocation record

    • Bespoke SQL: A custom SQL query returning a list of user IDs (for complex recipient logic)

  4. If Default User is selected, find and select the specific Rio user.

  5. If Bespoke SQL is selected, enter the SQL query in the User SQL field. The query must return a result set of valid Rio user IDs.

  6. Set the Recipient Order.

  7. Click Save.
    Result: The recipient is added to the action.

  8. Repeat steps 2–7 for each additional recipient required.

⚠️Important: If using bespoke SQL for recipients, test the SQL thoroughly in a non live environment first. An error in the SQL will cause the notification to fail silently no notification will be delivered.

Step five: Set the priority level

The priority level is set within the XML template referenced by the TODOITEM action. It controls the sort order of notifications in the To Do List. Lower numbers appear first. Use the following convention consistently across all workflow notifications:

  • Priority 1 High: Urgent or safety critical events requiring immediate action (e.g. urgent care attendance, urgent referral)

  • Priority 2 Medium: Important events requiring action within 24–48 hours (e.g. new routine referral, appointment outcome due)

  • Priority 3 Routine: Informational events with no immediate action required (e.g. referral accepted, appointment booked)

📌Note: Document your organisation's priority convention in your local System Administration guide so all future workflow configurations are consistent. Inconsistent priority values make the To Do List difficult to triage.

Step six: Link the activity to a clinical event trigger

The final configuration step is linking the workflow activity to the clinical event that should trigger it. The method varies depending on the event type:

  • New referral saved: Associate the activity code with the Referral screen's workflow configuration in AMS Referral Management.

  • Appointment outcome recorded: Associate the activity code with the Appointment Outcome screen's workflow configuration in AMS Appointment Management.

  • Urgent Care attendance registered: Set the activity code on the relevant departure method in the Urgent Care Unit Configuration (via the WflActivityConfigCode field on the departure method record).

  • Meeting scheduled or updated: Configure via the Meetings / Generic Meeting Scheduler module.

  • Assessment form saved: Configure against the relevant Rio Form in the Assessment Forms configuration.

Step seven: Test the workflow

  1. In a non live environment, trigger the clinical event that should fire the workflow (e.g. save a new referral to the configured team).
    Result: A record should appear in the WflQueue table with a status of not yet processed.

  2. Wait for the background service to process the queue, this takes 30-60 seconds. The queue item status should change to Completed and the record should move to WflQueueArchive.

  3. Log in as the configured recipient user and open their To Do List.
    Result: The notification should appear with the correct summary text, URL link, and priority level.

  4. Click the notification URL link and verify it navigates to the correct Rio screen for the triggering event.

  5. If the notification does not appear, check the following:

    • The WflQueue table is the record present, and what is the status and number of processing attempts?

    • The activity configuration is the activity linked to the correct event trigger?

    • The recipient configuration is the recipient correctly configured?

    • The XML template is the template file name correct and the template valid?

  6. Once verified in the non live environment, deploy the configuration to the live environment and communicate the change to affected clinical teams.

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