Personalize your AI-generated note

Want to customize what appears in each clinical note section?

Start by trying Dragon Copilot's built-in options. Many out-of-the-box features might already meet your needs. If you need more control, customizable templates enable you to tailor specific sections. Try these steps to adjust the content that appears in each note section:

  1. Select your medical specialty and apply the default style settings.
  2. Use the style panel to choose options that best match your preferences.
  3. Follow verbalization best practices to help the AI generate more accurate output.
  4. If these options don't achieve what you need, apply a customizable template for any of the six sections that support it.

1. Select your specialty and start with default style settings

Confirm your primary medical specialty is selected. Your primary specialty determines which AI model generates the note output. Record an encounter by using your primary specialty and keep all style settings at their defaults to see whether the model produces an output that meets your needs.

How to verify or change your primary specialty

  1. Select the Settings icon settings icon .
  2. Select Profile.
  3. Verify that your primary specialty is correct. If it isn't, select an appropriate specialty from the options in the drop-down list.
  • Your selection is automatically saved.
  • Dragon Copilot uses the primary specialty to create the AI-generated content in the clinical note sections.
  • Currently, the secondary specialty setting doesn't affect the model or AI-generated outputs.

Image of the Profile setting screen in Dragon Copilot.

Tip

If applicable, select the specialty that aligns with your patient population, not just your department. For example, if you're in primary medicine but mostly see pediatric patients, choose Pediatrics as your primary specialty.

How to set style to default settings

From any Dragon Copilot tab:

  1. Select the Settings icon settings icon .
  2. Select Note style & format.
  3. Select Style. This action opens the Style section.
  4. Select Reset to default, located at the bottom of the page.

Steps showing (1) Settings (gear icon) highlighted; (2) the Note style & format option highlighted, (3) the Style option highlighted, and (4) Reset to default button highlighted.

2. Refine your output using style options

If your primary specialty with the default style settings doesn’t produce the output you need, follow these steps:

  • Open the style panel.
  • Select the options that best match your preferences for each section. Your selections save automatically.
  • Review whether the style options you selected meet your needs.

For future recordings, your clinical summary combines:

  • Your specialty‑optimized AI model, and
  • Your chosen style settings.

Apply your style

You can apply your style preferences two ways: automatically or manually.

Automatic: To apply your style preferences automatically when generating a new note from an ambient recording, go to the Style panel and toggle Auto-style to on.

Manual: To apply your style preferences to the note on an as-needed basis, select the Apply my note style prompt.

Apply my note style button highlighted (to manually apply style) and Auto-style toggle highlighted (to automatically apply style selections.)

3. Follow verbalization best practices

The AI model provides better results when you follow these verbalization best practices.

Begin with an introduction: When recording an encounter, start by stating why you're seeing the patient and include patient demographic information. This introduction gives the AI a strong foundation for generating an accurate summary. For example, "I'm about to see Jane Doe, a 42-year-old woman. She is attending today for a follow-up review of ongoing lower back pain which started six months ago." If the patient is new, ask, "What brings you in today?"

Specify location and laterality: Because the AI can't see gestures or nonverbal cues, say the exact body part and the side of the body you're discussing. This specification helps ensure symptoms and findings are documented accurately.

State clearly what you want the AI to capture: The AI only includes information that you speak aloud, so verbalize the details you want in the note.

  • Avoid vague phrases. Don't say the patient is "on blood pressure medication." Instead, say the specific medication, such as "lisinopril."
  • During the Physical Exam, say the body systems and findings you want documented. If you need standard or "canned" exam text included - even when you don't verbalize it - use customizable templates to automatically insert that content into the note. (See How to edit default customizable templates.)
  • Confirm that the patient understands the care plan and their next steps. Clearly state each diagnosis and explain the actions the patient should take for each one.

4. Use customizable templates

If the previous three options don't give you the output you need, use customizable templates to help you further customize the AI output for certain sections.

Note

A template applies to a particular section of a Dragon Copilot note. Templates are available for History of Present Illness, Allergies, Physical Exam, Results, Procedure, and Assessment and Plan sections.

Next up: Intro to customizable templates

Use default customizable templates

How to edit default customizable templates

Create a customizable template library