Use this article to understand why CloudPCR is stopping you from submitting a PCR, how to read a validation issue, how to jump straight to the field that needs fixing, and how to clear the errors you will hit most often. This applies to any crew member working a PCR. You do not need to be an administrator to fix validation errors, but the setting that controls how strict the check is can only be changed by an agency administrator.

What the validation check does

Before a PCR can be submitted, CloudPCR runs a validation check against the NEMSIS (National EMS Information System) rules. The check runs in two passes: a quick structure check that catches missing required fields, and a full rules check that catches conditional problems, such as a time that comes before another time it should follow. The full check takes about 20 to 30 seconds. While it runs, the round status icon at the top of the PCR spins blue.

Where to see your validation errors

Every error and warning lives in the EMS Validation panel. You can open the validation panel three ways:

  • Click the round validation status icon at the top of the PCR. See The validation status icon.
  • Click the VAL tab on the right edge of the screen. When the PCR has errors, a red number on this tab shows how many.
  • Click Submit when the PCR still has issues. CloudPCR shows a Validation Issues Found popup with a Review Issues button that opens the panel for you.

For a full tour of the panel, see The validation panel.

How to read a validation issue

Each issue in the validation panel is a card. A card tells you three things:

  • The plain-language name of the field that has the problem, for example "Time Unit Arrived on Scene."
  • The reason, for example "This field is required and must be filled in."
  • A small tag showing which check raised it: XSD (the basic structure check), National (the standard NEMSIS rules), State (your state's extra rules), or Custom (a rule your own agency added).

Errors are shown in red and must be fixed. Warnings are shown in amber and may or may not block you, depending on your agency's strictness setting (explained below).

Jump straight to the field that needs fixing

The fastest way to clear validation errors is to let the panel take you to each field:

  1. In the validation panel, click an issue card. CloudPCR switches to the correct tab, scrolls the field into view, and flashes it with a red highlight so you can see exactly which field it means.
  2. Fill in or correct the field.
  3. Go back to the panel and click the next issue.
  4. When you have worked through the list, click Run Validation at the bottom of the panel to check again. The check takes about 20 to 30 seconds.

Repeat until the panel shows EMSDataSet is valid and the status icon turns green.

Clearing a "required" error when you do not have the value

The most common validation error is a required field left blank. Sometimes you genuinely do not have the value, or it does not apply to this call. You should not make up data to clear the error. Instead, use the NV button on the field.

NV stands for "not value." Many required fields show a small orange NV button next to them. Click it and CloudPCR asks Why is this value unavailable? Pick one of three reasons:

  • Not Applicable — this field does not apply to this patient or call.
  • Not Recorded — the value was not written down or is not available.
  • Not Reporting — your agency does not report this value.

Setting one of these clears the "required" error the same way entering a real value would. If you set an NV by mistake, click Clear not value (the X) on the field to remove it.

Important: The NV button is not the same as the PN button you see on some fields like blood pressure or the physical exam. PN stands for "pertinent negative" and its choices are Not Present, Refused, and Unable to Complete. Use PN when the reading was actively not obtained for a clinical reason. Use NV when the value is simply unavailable, not applicable, or not reported.

Errors versus warnings, and whether you can submit anyway

Whether warnings block you depends on a setting an administrator chooses in Settings. From the menu, an administrator clicks Settings, then Preferences, and picks one of two choices under Submission Validation Strictness:

  • Require all errors and warnings to be resolved (the default) — both errors and warnings must be cleared before you can submit.
  • Only require errors to be resolved — only errors block submission. Warnings are shown for information but do not stop you.

When your agency uses Only require errors to be resolved and the PCR has warnings but no errors, the submit popup offers a Submit Anyway button so you can submit past the warnings. You can never force past an actual error, and you can never force past a fatal error (see below), no matter which setting your agency uses.

Fatal errors cannot be forced

Some errors are marked with a red Fatal · blocks submission badge. A fatal error means your state's repository would reject the entire chart. Because of that, CloudPCR will not let you submit a PCR that has a fatal error, and there is no Submit Anyway option for it. If you try to submit, you will see a Cannot Submit popup. You must fix the fatal error before the PCR can go through.

Where the common errors live

When you click an issue, the panel already jumps to the right place, but it helps to know where each kind of error usually lives so you can predict what you are about to fix:

  • Missing times (dispatched, en route, on scene, at patient, transport, at destination) — the Times section on the Incident tab.
  • Missing call type or disposition — the Call Type and Disposition sections on the Incident tab.
  • Missing patient information (name, date of birth, sex, address) — the Patient tab.
  • Missing vitals — the Timeline tab. At least one vital set is required once you have made patient contact.
  • Missing destination — the Destination section on the Outcome tab.

Troubleshooting the check itself

The check is taking a long time or timed out

The full validation check normally takes about 20 to 30 seconds. If it runs much longer and you see Validation timed out. Check server logs., the check did not finish. Wait a moment, then click Run Validation again. If it keeps timing out, tell your agency's CloudPCR administrator.

I fixed the field but the icon is still red

Changing a field does not automatically re-run the check. The status icon and panel show the result of the last check you ran. After you make your fixes, click Run Validation (or the status icon) to check again.

An error mentions a state rule I have never seen

CloudPCR checks your PCR against your state's rules as well as the national NEMSIS rules. A State issue means your state asks for something the national rules do not. Fixing it now saves your submission from being rejected by your state later.

After you fix everything

When the panel shows EMSDataSet is valid and the status icon is green, click Submit. See Submitting a PCR for what happens next. Once a PCR is submitted it becomes read-only. If you find a mistake after submitting, an administrator has to move the PCR back to In Progress from the QA page before you can edit and resubmit it.

A worked example

You finish a chest pain transport and click Submit. After about 25 seconds CloudPCR shows a Validation Issues Found popup with 3 errors and 1 warning. You click Review Issues. The first error reads "Time Unit Arrived on Scene is required." You click it; CloudPCR jumps to the Times section on the Incident tab and highlights the empty field. You enter the time. The second error is a missing patient date of birth, which you truly do not have because the patient was unconscious and unidentified, so you click the NV button on that field and choose Not Recorded. The third error is a missing destination, so you fill it in on the Outcome tab. You click Run Validation, wait, and the panel now shows EMSDataSet is valid with the one remaining warning. Because your agency uses "Only require errors to be resolved," the submit popup offers Submit Anyway. You submit, and the PCR moves to Submitted.