You can add data variables to letter, message or encounter templates (refer to Creating letter templates, Creating message templates and Creating encounter templates). When you apply the templates to your letters, messages or encounters, information populates these variables.
Data variables are linked to patient chart data, location information, or providers. The available data variables are:
Patient data. For example, you could populate the patient's age or smoking status.
Chart data. For example, you could populate the patient’s surgical history or a list of their medications.
Appointment. For example, you could populate the appointment date.
Pronouns make it easier to have pre-configured sentences with correct grammar, for example, I saw “him”.
Contacts. For example, you could address your letter to the recipient and include their address.
⚠️ Important: If no data is available in the patient chart, i.e. the field you are receiving data from is not populated, you see a blue bubble. If the data is available, it populates with a dotted line underneath.
Patient and chart variables are similar. Patient data variables are linked with a specific data point and chart variables are linked with an entire chart section. For example, a patient data variable can be linked to the field Number of Cigarettes Per Day in the patient’s Social History, and only pull in the number of cigarettes, while a chart variable can be linked to Social History and pull in the entire social history.
Patient data variables
📌 Note: For encounters, when you add or edit information in the patient data variable, it is also updated in the linked patient data field in the patient's chart once the encounter note is signed.
Any patient data variables that do not contain information are deleted automatically when you sign the encounter. They are also removed when you send, print or generate a PDF.
To edit or add information to a patient data variable, follow the below steps.
Steps
1. Click the underlined text or the blue bubble, and a new window appears showing the patient data.
2. Add any missing data or edit as needed.
3. Click Save, and the newly added data appears in the letter, message or encounter.
Chart data variables
The chart variables listed below pull from the patient chart. For more information, refer to Variables for use in letter, message and encounter templates.
Lab Result
Allergies
Medication List
Medications Table
Injections
Goals of Care
Medical Conditions Table
Surgical History Table
Family History Table
Social History Table
Risk Factors Table
Health Profle List
You can delete but you cannot edit the information that populates these variables in letters, messages or encounter notes. Except information that populates Health Profile variables. To edit the information, you must add it in the patient chart. You must then reapply the encounter template to see the changes you made. It is best to ensure that all the required information is added before you apply the the letter, message or encounter template.
📌 Notes:
You can edit and delete the information that populates the variable Health Profile List. It however also does not reflect in the patient chart.
You can click into the Health Profile variables (Goals of Care, Medical Conditions Table, Surgial History Table, Family History Table, Social History Table, Risk Factors Table) in an encounter template to edit them. These edits update the Health Profile in the patient chart upon saving the encounter. However Health Profile variables cannot be edited when using letter templates.
Chart variables without data show in the finished letter, message or encounter and indicate that there is no information. For example, if the template includes the Medication List variable but the patient has no medications, then No medications will appear in the letter, message or encounter note. You can delete this if required.
Additional data variables
In addition to patient and chart variables, the data variables below can be used to pull in supplementary information.
Variable | Description |
Appointment Practitioner, Appointment Start Time and Appointment Date | Auto populate if the encounter is linked with an appointment. For letters and messages, you must manually link the appointment. To change or add the linked appointment:
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Pronouns | Pull from the patient’s Gender, or Sex if no gender is specified. You can click on a pronoun to change it. Pronouns are used to create preconfigured sentences. For example, a template with the sentence “I saw Him/Her/Them/Sir/Zim.” will appear as “I saw him.” when the patient's gender is male. For more information, refer to Patient preferred pronouns. |
Facility and Contact | Are only available for letters. You must add the Recipient before applying your template. The recipient’s details are applied to any facility or contact variables, for example Contact Full Name, Contact Full Address, Facility Fax Number. If you do not add the Recipient before applying the template, you can click the blue variable and enter free text but you cannot search from your contact list.
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Updated October1, 2024