Craft with AI is how you tell PatientNotes what to write, where to put it, and how it should read. Instead of writing prompts manually, you build a document using content blocks — and the AI fills those blocks from your session.
A simple way to think about it: you design the structure, tone, and level of detail. PatientNotes does the writing.
Content blocks — the building blocks of your template
Every template is made up of content blocks. There are three types: AI blocks, structure blocks, and logic blocks.
AI blocks — where the generated content goes
These are the blocks PatientNotes fills using what was discussed in the session.
AI Text — generates paragraph-style narrative content. Best for summaries, clinical reasoning, impressions, and recommendations.
AI List — generates bullet or list-style content. Best for action items, examination findings, home programs, or anything you want to scan quickly.
AI Table — generates table-style content. Best for structured data like ROM measurements or outcome scores.
Structure blocks — for layout and headings
These blocks don't generate content — they give your template shape and make it easier to read.
Heading 2 — a main section heading (e.g. Subjective, Assessment, Plan)
Heading 3 — a subsection heading (e.g. Aggravating factors, Easing factors)
Text — static text that always appears in the note exactly as written. Useful for fixed phrases, standard disclaimers, or labels.
Spacer — adds visual space between sections for readability
Logic blocks — for conditional content
Logic blocks let you include sections only when they're relevant. This keeps notes clean and prevents empty headings from appearing in every note.
If Discussed — the section only appears if that topic came up during the consultation. Use this for sections like Social History, Red Flags, or Work Status that won't apply to every session.
If — shows content only when specific conditions are met. More advanced — useful for templates shared across a team where different workflows apply.
Format rules — controlling how the content reads
Format rules shape the writing style of everything Craft with AI generates. You set these at the template level — they apply to the whole document — and you can override individual rules for specific sections if needed.
Format rules for clinical notes
Tone — controls whether the note sounds formal and clinical, or warmer and plain-English. Adjust based on your clinic's documentation style or how notes will be read.
First Person Usage — sets whether the note uses "I assessed..." / "We recommend..." or a third-person style. Useful for ensuring consistency across a team.
Certainty Expression — controls how confident or cautious the language sounds. Useful for assessment sections where you want measured clinical language rather than definitive statements.
Length and Structure — sets how concise or detailed the output is. Start conservative and adjust if notes are coming out too brief or too verbose.
Tense Policy — sets the default tense used throughout the note (past, present, or mixed). Most clinical notes use past tense for what was discussed and present tense for findings.
Jargon and Abbreviations — controls whether the note uses clinical shorthand (e.g. c/o, ROM, ↑↓) or plain-language equivalents. Useful when notes are shared with patients or non-clinical staff.
Format rules for letters
Detail Level — controls how much information the letter includes. Letters are written for a different audience than clinical notes, so this is kept simpler — you're adjusting depth, not documentation style.
Clinical notes vs letters — how to think about them differently
Clinical notes and letters serve different purposes, and your templates should reflect that.
Clinical note templates are built for documentation — consistent, structured, and designed to reflect the way you like to write notes. The format rules give you fine-grained control over style so notes are easier to review and sign off.
Letter templates are built for communication — tailored for another person, whether that's a GP, specialist, insurer, or the patient themselves. The focus is on how much detail to include and how the content will land with the reader.
Tips for getting the best results
Start simple, then refine. Get the structure right before adjusting format rules. A clean structure gives you much better test results to work from.
Use AI Text for narrative sections. Summaries, impressions, and recommendations read best as paragraphs — use AI Text for these.
Use AI List when you want fast, scannable output. Action items, findings, and key points work well as lists.
Use logic blocks to keep templates clean. If Discussed prevents empty sections from appearing in notes where a topic wasn't relevant.
Adjust format rules one at a time. Change one setting, test, see what improved. Changing everything at once makes it hard to know what made the difference.
Build separate templates for different workflows. A template for initial assessments will be quite different from a follow-up template or a referral letter. Keep them focused.
Always test against a real session. The Test tab is where you see how everything comes together. Use it after every significant change before going live.