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.
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.