Dragon Copilot supplies a suggested template in each of the sections that offer a customizable template option: History of Present Illness, Allergies, Physical Exam, Results, Procedure, and Assessment and Plan. You can modify the suggested template or replace it with a template of your own design.

Edit or replace a default template 

  • Navigate to the style panel: Settings (gear icon) > Note style & format > Style. 

  • Scroll to any of the six note sections that support a customizable template option. Then select the open icon  next to the heading name. Open the drop-down menu and choose the customizable template for that specific note section.

  • To edit the default template, scroll to the bottom of the suggested template and select Edit template. Make your changes, then select Save.

  • To use your own template instead, delete the default text, paste in your content, and select Save.

On left, Allergies section with customizable template selection and Edit template highlighted. On right, Save button highlighted.

Typical scenarios for customizable templates

Here are common scenarios where a customizable template can help you get the output you need.

How do I get titles or subheadings to appear in my note?

For any headings or titles that you would like to place directly into that specific note section, simply add it as plain text in your template.  Example of subheadings:

Note section

Physical Exam

History of Present Illness

Assessment and Plan

Subheading example

General appearance:

Symptoms:

Clinical decision making: 

Note: Keep titles/subheadings as plain text in your template, as shown in the examples below. Do not enclose them in brackets or quotation marks.

General appearance: [List findings] {if not mentioned put "Normal."} Vital signs: [List findings] {if not mentioned put "Within normal limits"}. HEENT: [List findings] {if not mentioned put "Within normal limits"}.

How do I get "canned text" to appear in my note?

For fixed content that is not a subheading or a label, such as canned or boilerplate text, use quotation marks to designate that text. For example:

  • "Risks and benefits have been discussed with the patient."

  • "Further diagnostic therapeutic intervention will be based on patient response to treatment."

In each of these cases, the text in quotation marks is included in that section every time the template is applied.

How do I design the template so the AI will add/generate content based on the recorded conversation? ​​​​​​​

To have the AI fill in specific information from the recorded conversation, add a placeholder to your template. Placeholders mark the spots the AI will update using details extracted from the note and transcript. 

Note: Put placeholder text within [square brackets], as shown in the examples below.

  • Follow-up: [next scheduled visit, other]

Placeholder text can be detailed if necessary. Placeholders guide the AI on how the content should be structured, for example:

  • Treatment: [Briefly describe any related treatments like lifestyle counseling, medications, or referrals. Do not include the name and location of the pharmacy.]​​​​​​​

How do I ask the AI to delete a subsection if it is not mentioned? 

You can add instructions to your template, which provide guidelines for Dragon Copilot to update specific content in a certain way. Instructions help the AI understand what changes to make to the template after filling in the necessary information, including placeholder content.

  • Commonly used instructions include deleting a row if there is no content or replacing specific content with a designated word or phrase.

  • Instructions are most often worded as "if, then" statements and should be positioned as close as possible to the elements or rows to which they pertain.

Note: Place instructions inside {curly brackets}, as shown in the example below.

  • Food allergies: {If none specified, then delete this entire row and its heading.}

Can I structure my template so it includes multiple requests to the AI? 

Yes. Your template can include several elements—such as subheadings, placeholders, and instructions—and the AI will use all of them when generating the note. For example: 

  • Subheading: HEAD, FACE, EYES:

  • Placeholder: [List findings.]

  • Instruction with canned text: {If HEAD, FACE, EYES is unremarkable use the statement "Normocephalic, atraumatic; PERRLA.", then append any noted exceptions. Delete this entire row if no findings were mentioned.}

All together, it looks like this: 

  • HEAD, FACE, EYES: [List findings] {If HEAD, FACE, EYES is unremarkable use the statement "Normocephalic, atraumatic; PERRLA.", then append any noted exceptions. Delete this entire row if no findings were mentioned.}

How can I have the AI populate a Physical Exam section with my standard text, even when that body system wasn’t discussed?

Add an {empty section} instruction at the very top of your customizable template. This tells Dragon Copilot to include your standard text even when that body system isn’t mentioned during the recording. Within the template, list the standard text you want for each body system and place those statements in quotation marks. For example:

  • {empty section}

  • General Appearance: [List findings] {if not mentioned put "Normal"}. Vital signs: [List findings] {if not mentioned put "Within normal limits"}. HEENT: [List findings]...

How can I tell the AI to repeat an instruction, so I don’t have to enter it multiple times? 

Use a looping command, which tells the system to repeat a specific part of the template. Looping commands are helpful when you have several repeating items—such as multiple diagnoses—and want the AI to format each diagnosis the same way. In some cases, you may also need to mark where the repeated section ends to ensure it functions correctly.

Note: Place looping commands inside {curly brackets} at the top of the applicable section, such as shown in the example below. 

  • ​​​​​​​{Repeat for each diagnosis}

  • [Diagnosis] {Do not number the diagnoses}

  • -Monitoring: [Briefly describe symptoms, signs, or testing to be followed as evidence of disease progression or evidence of disease regression] {if none specified, then delete this entire row and its header}

  • -Evaluation: [Briefly describe any analysis and interpretation regarding the patient's condition to determine how well the current treatment plan is working and to identify any necessary adjustments. This could include reviewing medical test results or describing the patient's response to treatment] {if none specified, then delete this entire row and its header}

  • -Assessment: [Briefly describe any clinical judgments and decisions based on the evaluation to address the patient's needs by planning and implementing appropriate interventions. This could include ordering new tests or procedures, discussing the patient's treatment options, or reviewing previous treatments]  {if none specified, then delete this entire row and its header}

  • ​​​​​​​-Treatment: [Briefly describe any related treatments like lifestyle counseling, medications, or referrals. Do not include the name and location of the pharmacy]  {if none specified, then delete this entire row and its header}

Define a customizable template source 

By default, customizable templates use both the transcript and AI-generated note to build the clinical content for a section. However, you have the ability to use the note only or the transcript only. For example:

  • For the Physical exam in particular, you can use transcript only if you want to capture more details as discussed during the encounter

  • If you have too much detail from the transcript, you can opt for using the note only.

To use the transcript only, add the following instruction at the top of your template followed by a new line:

  • {Transcript only}

To use the note only, add the following instruction at the top of your template followed by a new line:

  • {Disable transcript}

Best practices when developing customizable templates

  • Start with the default note. Review your note outcome without any custom templates to understand how your specialty‑specific AI model performs. Then apply templates only where additional tailoring is needed. 

  • Write clear, specific instructions. Keep AI guidance concise and direct when creating placeholders or template rules.

  • Review and adjust as needed. Because customizable templates use generative AI, results may vary. Always review the generated note and edit content as necessary.

  • Use Auto‑Style for consistency. When Auto‑Style is enabled, your style preferences—including customizable templates—are automatically applied each time you add a new recording.

  • Manually apply when needed​​​​​​​. If you choose not to run your style automatically, remember that adding another ambient recording regenerates the note. Reapply your template after each new recording.

  • Avoid reapplying unchanged templates. If the output isn’t what you expect, try one of these actions: Add another ambient recording, make a monologue recording, restore an earlier unstyled version, or adjust your template before applying it again. 

  • Skip unnecessary prompts. Don’t include instructions that direct the overall AI model, such as “do not hallucinate” or “use medically relevant information,” as they are already built in.

Note: As with all AI features in Dragon Copilot, the AI supporting customizable templates is built on a responsible AI framework, ensuring a foundation of trust.

Next steps

Develop even further personalization for your notes by building a customizable template library for each note section that supports customizable templates. Learn how here: Create a custom template library

Related topics

Personalize your AI-generated note

Intro to customizable templates

How to use default customizable templates

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