> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bydoctor.com.br/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Update Patient — PATCH /patients/{id} | ByDoctor API

> Partially update a patient record. Send only the fields you want to change — omitted fields are left untouched. Returns the full updated patient object.

The **Update Patient** endpoint performs a partial update on an existing patient record. You only need to include the fields you want to change — any field omitted from the request body is left untouched. On success, the API returns the complete updated patient object. The `updated_at` timestamp is automatically refreshed to the current UTC time.

## Endpoint

```
PATCH https://api.bydoctor.com.br/v1/patients/{id}
```

## Authentication

```
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
```

## Path Parameters

<ParamField path="id" type="string" required>
  The UUID of the patient record you want to update.
</ParamField>

## Request Body

Send a JSON body with `Content-Type: application/json` containing only the fields you wish to update. All body fields are optional.

<ParamField body="name" type="string">
  Patient's full name. Must be between 2 and 255 characters.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="phone" type="string">
  Contact phone number in **E.164 format**, e.g. `+5511999999999`. Pass `null` to remove a previously stored phone number.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="email" type="string">
  Patient's email address. Pass `null` to remove a previously stored email.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="cpf" type="string">
  Brazilian individual taxpayer identifier in the format `123.456.789-00`. The CPF is re-validated for correct format and check digits. Pass `null` to remove a previously stored CPF.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="date_of_birth" type="string">
  Date of birth in `YYYY-MM-DD` format. The date must be in the past.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="health_plan" type="string">
  Name of the patient's health insurance plan. Pass `null` to clear the field.
</ParamField>

<Warning>
  Updating a patient's `cpf` will fail with a `409 Conflict` error if another patient record in your clinic already holds the same CPF value. Resolve the conflict by first checking whether the CPF belongs to a duplicate profile that should be merged or deleted before retrying the update.
</Warning>

## Response Fields (200 OK)

<ResponseField name="id" type="string" required>
  UUID of the patient record.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="clinic_id" type="string" required>
  Identifier of the clinic this patient belongs to.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="name" type="string" required>
  Patient's full name after the update.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="cpf" type="string">
  CPF after the update, or `null` if not set.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="phone" type="string">
  Phone number after the update, or `null` if not set.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="email" type="string">
  Email address after the update, or `null` if not set.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="date_of_birth" type="string">
  Date of birth after the update, or `null` if not set.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="health_plan" type="string">
  Health plan name after the update, or `null` if not set.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="whatsapp_opt_out" type="boolean" required>
  Current WhatsApp opt-out status. This field is managed by the patient consent flow and cannot be overridden via this endpoint.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="created_at" type="string" required>
  ISO 8601 UTC timestamp of when the patient record was originally created. Unchanged by updates.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="updated_at" type="string" required>
  ISO 8601 UTC timestamp reflecting the moment this update was applied.
</ResponseField>

## Error Responses

| Status             | Code                 | Description                                                                         |
| ------------------ | -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `400 Bad Request`  | `invalid_cpf_format` | The `cpf` value does not match the expected format or fails check-digit validation. |
| `401 Unauthorized` | `unauthorized`       | Your API key is missing or invalid.                                                 |
| `404 Not Found`    | `patient_not_found`  | No patient with the given UUID exists in your clinic.                               |
| `409 Conflict`     | `cpf_already_exists` | Another patient in your clinic already has the same CPF.                            |

## Example Request

```bash theme={null}
curl --request PATCH \
  --url "https://api.bydoctor.com.br/v1/patients/a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890" \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
    "phone": "+5511911112222",
    "health_plan": "SulAmérica"
  }'
```

## Example Response

```json theme={null}
{
  "id": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
  "clinic_id": "clinic_01HXZ9QWERTY",
  "name": "Ana Paula Ferreira",
  "cpf": "321.654.987-00",
  "phone": "+5511911112222",
  "email": "ana.ferreira@email.com",
  "date_of_birth": "1990-03-15",
  "health_plan": "SulAmérica",
  "whatsapp_opt_out": false,
  "created_at": "2024-06-01T10:22:00Z",
  "updated_at": "2025-01-20T15:30:00Z"
}
```