Start a Note from a Template

Note templates give your note a ready-made structure, such as the headings of a SOAP note. This guide shows you how to start an encounter note from a template. Your practice administrator manages the templates available to you; see Create and Manage Note Templates.

Before you begin

You’ll need an encounter open in the Document Encounter workspace. To create one, see Document an Encounter.

How to start a note from a template

1. In the Document Encounter workspace, go to Clinical notes.
2. Open the Note type list. It offers Blank note first, then your practice’s active note templates by name. You can type in the list to search it.
3. Choose a template. Its headings and text appear in the note. Choose Blank note to start with an empty note instead.
4. Write your note under the template’s headings. Use the formatting toolbar above the note for headings, bold, italic, underline, lists, and links.

Your note saves automatically as you type. Saved appears to the right of the Note type list when your latest changes are stored.

How to switch to a different template

If you choose a different template after writing in the note, OpenCoreEMR asks Switch note type? first, because switching replaces the current note with the new template and your text is lost.

• Select Keep current note to cancel and keep what you have written.
• Select Switch and replace to replace the note with the new template.

How to add another note

To add a second note to the same encounter, select Add another note, choose a New note type, and select Create note. This button appears once the first note has been saved.

Understanding what you’re looking at

Note sensitivity label

If the template is set to High sensitivity, the note shows a Sensitivity: High label beside the Note type once it is saved. The label is for information only: it does not restrict who can open the note. Notes at normal sensitivity show no label.

Retired templates

When an administrator retires a template, it is no longer offered in the Note type list. Notes already started from it keep it, shown as the template name followed by (current type).