Troubleshooting FAQ

Android tablets, like all technology devices, can - to use a technical term - "flake out" sometimes. This can take result in a number of symptoms that are usually pretty clearly not related to the Ocean app. But if there's any doubt, try to access a standard website from a web browser on the tablet (i.e. Chrome). If you can't access to a standard website like cbc.ca, then the issue is not related to Ocean. 

If this is indeed the case, we recommend the following steps to try to get it working again:

• Put the device in airplane mode in the settings, and then take it out of airplane mode.
• Try powering off the device and restarting it.
• Take a paperclip, unbend it and stick the end into the "reset" hole, assuming there is one. There is a hidden button in that hole that will clear more than a simple reset.
• Reset to factory settings and reinstall Ocean (steps to reset the factory settings are here).
• Take it back to the retailer (particularly if it's still under warranty, but even if its not, sometimes retailers like Best Buy will be able to help you with an exchange). You can also call the manufacturer's support line (i.e. the usual stuff).

The Ocean Tablet has a security feature to detect new app installations and unauthorized upgrades. This feature is designed to protect against a number of things:

• Patients (or their children) installing games without your permission
• People installing nefarious software such as keyboard trackers to compromise PHI
• Patients upgrading software without clinic consent
• Removal of apps that have been deliberately installed by IT people (e.g. asset tracking apps, geolocation lockdown apps, etc.)

If the Ocean Tablet detects any changes to the installed app list, it considers itself compromised. It deletes its authentication token and the encryption key as a security precaution since it can't tell whether a change was innocuous.

Before reactivating the tablet, you should first review the app changes and make sure that they are benign. You might need to do some Googling to understand the "package names" that were installed or uninstalled. If you aren't sure, you should reset your tablet to factory conditions and reinstall the Ocean app.

If the changes are benign, you can simply re-enter your Ocean user password and encryption key to re-register the app.  

Auto-Fill

Autofill is a common default setting on a number of tablets found in the keyboard options. Having this option activated may result in some patients being able to see information typed in by patients who used the tablet before them.

• To turn off autofill on Samsung tablets:

  • Go into the tablet's Settings app.
  • Select "General management" and then "Language and input".
  • 
  • Select "On-screen keyboard" and then "Samsung keyboard".
  • 
  • Select "Smart typing". Toggle the "Predictive text" switch to the left to disable predictive text.
  • 
  • Other tablets should have similar settings.
  • Note: If autofill continues to be a problem, it may be useful to download the Google Keyboard ("Gboard") from the Google Play Store and use that instead of the default Samsung keyboard.

Auto-correct

Autocorrect is also a common default tablet setting that can be frustrating if a patient is required to type in free text.

• To turn off autocorrect:

  • Go into the Settings app.
  • Select "Language & Input".
  • Select the keyboard that you are using (most likely the Google keyboard, i.e. Gboard).
  • Select "Text Correction".
  • Toggle the "Auto-correction" to the left to turn it off.

If you find that a patient is trying to type something into your kiosk tablet, but the on-screen keyboard isn't showing up, follow the steps below regain access to your on-screen keyboard.

When a tablet is in "Kiosk Mode", you may notice that the options to control the introduction screen and birthday validation are blocked. However, we understand that our clients serve a variety of patient groups with diverse needs, some of whom would prefer to just go straight to their forms after check-in. The steps below will describe how you can still change these settings, even for tablets in kiosk mode.

Most errors are visible to OceanMD administrators automatically. However, we occasionally need to ask you to send your tablet logs to us to investigate errors further.

• To send your tablet logs to us, follow the steps below:

  • Tap the cog at the bottom left corner of the tablet main screen.
  • 
  • Enter your Ocean credentials.
  • Choose "View Log" from the menu of options.
  • 
  • You will then see a blue button at the bottom to "Send to CognisantMD". Tap this button and the logs will be sent to us.

In general, you won't need to upgrade anything in your clinic at any particular time, especially if things are going well. We upgrade the Ocean web portal every week but we are very careful to avoid breaking connectivity with EMRs and tablets.

That being said, there are reasons that you might want to update your tablets or EMR integration code (like the PS Suite custom form). Maybe you've heard about a new feature you'd like to use. Maybe you've run into a bug (perish the thought). Or maybe you are trying to use a clinical form that requires a newer version. In any case, we've made upgrading tablets and EMR integration code fairly easy for large and small clinics.

If you do want/need to upgrade your Ocean tablets, there are a few "best practices" that we recommend if the situation allows:

• Don't upgrade them all at once; upgrade one or two near you physically and make sure everything is still smooth. There are too many moving parts to go with a "big bang" upgrade, particularly with EMR integrations at different versions.
• If you are a large site upgrading many tablets at once from an old version, let us know.
• Generally speaking, first thing in the morning is a bad time to change anything. 

There may be times that CognisantMD staff will remote update your tablets or force you to update your EMR integration code before using Ocean again. We generally only do that with you on the phone although we might do it without warning if we find a security issue or other urgent bug that warrants it.

As always, don't hesitate to contact us at ocean.tips/support if you have any questions about the upgrade process.

When a patient checks in using an Ocean tablet, a "mark as arrived" status is sent to the EMR scheduler either upon unlock or completion of the session.

If staff have set the patient to any of the following four statuses – Arrived, In Room, Ready, Finished – Ocean will skip setting the "mark as arrived" status, as it considered the patient to have already been seen and processed by front desk staff successfully.

If you notice a "mark as arrived" status has not been applied to a patient, please ensure their status is not currently set to Arrived, In Room, Ready, or Finished.