What is a Patient Summary?
A Patient Summary is a concise, plain-language overview generated from a completed session. It's separate from your clinical note — think of it as the "TL;DR" of a session, written in a way that works for handovers, patient-facing communication, or building a running record of a patient's progress over time.
Patient Summaries are ideal for:
Handover notes — give a covering colleague a fast, accurate picture of the patient's recent session
Patient-facing recaps — share a plain-language summary of what was discussed and agreed in the appointment
Progress tracking — build a running record of a patient's journey across multiple visits
Referrals — a fast starting point when writing a referral letter or summary for another provider
How to Generate a Patient Summary
Step 1 — Mark the session as complete
Patient Summaries are generated from completed sessions. Open the session and click Mark as Complete to finalise it before generating a summary.
Step 2 — Click "Patient Summary"
Once the session is complete, click the Patient Summary button. PatientNotes will generate the summary in the background — you don't need to stay on the screen while it processes.
💡 Note on timing: Summaries are generated on demand to keep the app fast and responsive. Simply click Patient Summary whenever you're ready — you don't need to wait for it to appear immediately after completing the session.
Step 3 — Review and use
Once generated, the summary appears in the session. You can copy it, paste it into your practice management system, email it to a colleague, or share it with the patient directly.
Enable Auto-Generate (Optional)
If you'd like PatientNotes to generate a summary automatically each time you complete a session — without needing to click the button — you can enable this in your profile:
Go to your Profile (click your name or avatar in the top right)
Find the Patient Summary preference section
Toggle Auto-generate on completion on
Click Save
Once enabled, a summary will be generated in the background each time you mark a session complete — no extra clicks needed.
Tips for Getting the Best Summaries
The better the session recording, the better the summary. Summaries are generated from your session's transcript and notes — if the recording was clear and complete, the summary will reflect that.
Edit the summary if needed. Summaries are AI-generated drafts — always review before sending to a patient or colleague.
Use with Multi-Session Reports. Patient Summaries give you the session-level overview; Multi-Session Reports let you consolidate multiple sessions into a single document for referrals or funding submissions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why isn't the summary appearing straight away?
Summaries are generated on demand when you click Patient Summary. If you've just clicked it and don't see output yet, give it a few seconds to process — it runs in the background.
Can I edit the summary?
Yes — the generated summary is editable. Click into the summary field and make any changes before copying or sharing.
Is the Patient Summary the same as the clinical note?
No. Your clinical note is the detailed, structured documentation of the session (SOAP, DAP, etc.). The Patient Summary is a shorter, plain-language overview designed for quick communication — not a replacement for your clinical record.
Can I send the summary directly to the patient?
PatientNotes doesn't send summaries directly to patients — you'd copy the text and send via your normal communication channel (email, patient portal, etc.).
Will auto-generate slow down the app?
No — summaries are always generated in the background and won't affect the performance of your session workflow.
Need More Help?
Chat with us via the help widget inside PatientNotes, or email [email protected].