Progress note templates give your practitioners a consistent starting point for their notes. You might have one for initial consultations and another for standard consultations, or separate templates per discipline. You can also set a default template per service, so the right one is preselected when a practitioner adds a note.
This guide covers how to create a progress note template and how to add placeholders that pre-fill client and practitioner details.
Before you begin
You'll need permission to edit progress note templates. If you don't have template-editing access, the options below won't appear.
Create a progress note template
The steps below outline how to create a template.
Go to Settings, then Templates, then Progress notes.
Click + New template.
Enter a name in the template title field.
Build your template using the editor.
Formatting and forward-slash commands
The template editor is the same rich text editor used across progress notes, forms, letters and emails. Type / to insert fields including checklists, horizontal line, drop-down, linear scale, signature, file attachment, date picker, multiple choice, and yes/no.
For formatting, tables and lists, see Using the rich text editor. For the full set of forward-slash commands and keyboard shortcuts, see Add and write a progress note.
Use placeholders
Placeholders pre-fill client details, practitioner details and more, so practitioners aren't retyping them. Type ** or click the {} icon in the sticky toolbar. Placeholders can be included anywhere in a progress note, including in tables.
⚠️ If a placeholder has no data to pull, it shows as something like [No value] or [No date of birth specified]. Practitioners should review notes for empty fields before finalising them.
For the full list of available fields, see Progress Note Template Placeholders.
Set a default template for a service
To have a template preselected when a practitioner adds a note from a particular service, see Assign a default progress note template to a service.
Submit a template to the splose template search competition
The splose template search is a community competition. Submit your best progress note templates and the top 50 each win $200 AUD. Entries close Friday 2 October 2026.
Templates are judged on structure, layout and clinical value; does the template produce high-quality notes efficiently? Bonus points for templates that use splose AI Blocks.
To submit a template:
Go to Settings, then Templates, then Progress notes.
Find the template you'd like to submit in the list.
Click the three dots (•••) in the Actions column at the right of that template's row.
Select Submit to template search.
Read the Competition Terms and Conditions.
Once you have read and accepted the terms and conditions, select the checkbox and click Submit Entry.
A small banner will appear at the top of the page confirming that your entry has been submitted.
Things to note
Only progress note templates can be entered. Form templates aren't eligible.
You can submit more than one template.
Open to Australian customers, across OT, physiotherapy, speech pathology, counselling, social work, psychology and behaviour support.
Full terms and conditions are at splose.com/legal.
Troubleshooting and FAQs
I updated a template from a note. Did it change my existing notes?
I updated a template from a note. Did it change my existing notes?
No. Only the template changes; existing and in-progress notes are untouched.
I updated a template; did it change existing notes?
I updated a template; did it change existing notes?
No. Only the template changes; existing and in-progress notes are untouched.
A placeholder shows [No value]; why?
A placeholder shows [No value]; why?
The field has no data on the client or practitioner record. Review the note and fill in anything missing before finalising.
One of my progress-note templates throws an error every time I open it. How do I fix it?
One of my progress-note templates throws an error every time I open it. How do I fix it?
This is usually caused by an image pasted into the template; most often a signature image. Because the image is embedded in the template, it can cause the note error as it loads on every client. Edit the template and remove the pasted image; the note will open normally. To include a signature, add it with the "/" (slash) command inside the note and choose the signature block, rather than pasting an image.