A client's Intentions and Assessment can change after intake. A phone call, a text, a follow-up visit, or a piece of correspondence can reveal a different plan than the one recorded when the case opened. CoolFocus keeps a running history of those changes on the case instead of overwriting the original record.
This article is about the case ledger (Initial vs Current, and Record change).
For filling out the counseling-chart checkboxes during a visit (Abortion minded / Abortion vulnerable / Likely to carry), see Counselor's Assessment of Risk of Abortion (Initial Assessment).
Initial vs. Current
Each case shows two versions of Intentions and two versions of Assessment:
Initial Intentions and Initial Assessment hold what was recorded when the case was opened (Initial Intentions was previously labeled "Pregnancy Intentions"). These stay put; they are the record of what the client said or was assessed as at the start. Location Overview and Lives Saved - Changed Minds use these intake values; see How reports read intentions below. You enter Initial Intentions when the case is created, for example in the new case dialog you get when you choose Start a new case on the Visit Board (see The Visit Board); you can still fill it in or adjust it afterward from the case's Pregnancy Intentions group.
Current Assessment shows the newest entry in the case's history, or the Initial Assessment if nothing has changed since. Current Intentions shows the newest entry in the case's history; if there isn't one, it shows the newest intention recorded on a visit or correspondence, and otherwise the Initial Intentions. Both Current fields are read-only and update automatically whenever a new history entry is recorded.
On the Cases grid, Current Intentions is available as a column but not as a filter, and Initial Intentions is not available in the grid at all, not as a column and not as a filter. If you need either one, send it to us as a feature request: open the Help button, choose Ask a question, and describe the field. See Tips for Getting Help with the CoolFocus Chat Bubble.
Recording a change
On the case, open the Assessment & Intentions History section, in the Pregnancy Intentions Info group.
An empty history means the case is still showing its initial values.
To record a change, fill in:
Kind: Intentions or Assessment
Cause: Phone, Text, Visit, or Correspondence — whatever prompted the update
New value: up to 200 characters
Select Record change to save it. The entry lists its kind, cause, value, and the date and time it was recorded, with the newest entry first.
You need Update permission on cases to record a change, and View permission on cases to see the history — the same permissions that already apply to the rest of a case's fields.
The case must be saved before you can record a change. A brand-new, unsaved case shows "Save the case before recording a change" instead of the entry form.
Automatic entries from charts
When a counseling chart (like Client Advocacy) writes its answer through to the case's Intentions or Assessment field, CoolFocus compares that answer to the most recently recorded value. If it's different, CoolFocus adds a new history entry automatically, tagged with cause Chart. If the chart's answer matches what's already on file, no duplicate entry is added.
Staff can't record a manual entry with cause Chart. That cause is reserved for these automatic entries.
How counselors fill the assessment checkboxes on the visit: Counselor's Assessment of Risk of Abortion (Initial Assessment).
Other case form changes
• Carry to Term Intentions was removed from the case form. Its values already exist in the Initial Intentions list, and any existing data on the field remains in the database and stays queryable.
How reports read intentions
The case shows Initial and Current values, but reports read intentions a little differently. This matters if you rely on Location Overview, Lives Saved - Changed Minds, or the Option Ultrasound report.
What the intention choices mean
Abortion: the client has chosen to have an abortion.
Adoption: she has chosen to have the baby and place it for adoption.
Carry: she has chosen to have the baby but hasn't decided between adoption and parenting.
Parent: she has chosen to have the baby and parent.
Undecided: she hasn't chosen between abortion and carrying.
Unknown: she won't disclose her intentions.
N/A: not applicable, for example a non-pregnant client.
Initial Intentions in reports
Reports use the case's Initial Intentions, the client's stated intention at intake. Location Overview groups new cases by it, and Changed Minds uses it as the starting point. Fix a data-entry mistake with a correction, not a new history entry.
Current Intentions in reports
For reports, the current intention is the newest intention recorded on the case in one of these places:
the post-ultrasound intention on a visit with an ultrasound
"Client's stated intentions AFTER counseling" on a visit
the Intention on a correspondence dated during this case (before the client's next case opened)
The newest date wins. If two are on the same date, the ultrasound wins, then the visit, then the correspondence. If the case has visits but none recorded an intention, reports show N/A. (with a period).
Important: a change you add with Record change in Assessment & Intentions History updates the Current Intentions shown on the case, but reports don't use it. For a change to count in Location Overview or Changed Minds, record it on the visit or add a correspondence with the Intention field filled in.
The date of the current intention
Changed Minds uses the date the current intention was recorded. Recording the same intention again on a later visit or correspondence moves that date forward, and the case moves to the later month in Changed Minds. If the client's intention hasn't changed, you don't need to enter it again.
Outcome
The case outcome (such as Baby born or Miscarried) is separate from intentions. Location Overview shows the outcome in place of the current intention when there is one. Changed Minds still requires a current intention of Parent, Adoption, or Carry; an outcome alone doesn't add a case.