Here are some important suggestions related to the inpatient setting:
Ambient recording
Disable any Bluetooth devices with a microphone connected to your mobile device before you begin ambient recording.
While recording, ensure proper device placement so the microphone on the device isn't obstructed (for example, in your breast pocket upside down) and mute any TVs in the room to ensure clear recording.
Modify the Do Not Disturb settings on your mobile device to reduce interruptions while recording, but still ensure that you receive important secure chat messages and paging notifications.
Record often. Create ambient recordings to capture important information related to the patient at any time during your shift. Use Dragon Copilot to record handoffs and conversations with other care team members and more.
Admitting History & Physical or initial evaluations.
Specialist evaluation and consultation encounters.
Follow-up and rounding visits.
Face-to-face exit interviews for disposition.
Important
The more you record, the better your generated note summaries will be.
Create "monologue" ambient recordings. Use Dragon Copilot to recap an interaction with the patient outside the patient's room or to capture information for your note in other situations, such as:
Post-admission documentation or commentary.
Lab results that you review and orders you place.
Sensitive findings you prefer not to verbalize in front of the patient.
Trauma alerts.
Encounters with disoriented, comatose, nonverbal, or uncooperative patients.
Tip
The combined transcript of all the ambient recordings you create for the same note contribute to the note sections that Dragon Copilot generates. Creating additional recordings can save you valuable time editing your final note.
Note format and style
- Verify your Primary specialty setting in your Profile in Dragon Copilot. Use your discretion on what primary specialty to select. In most cases, you get the best output for your note if you select a specialty model when you work in outpatient settings and “hospital setting” when working in inpatient settings.
- Consider using a customizable template for the Physical Exam or Assessment and Plan sections in Dragon Copilot after you complete all recordings to further personalize those summaries for your needs.
Note workflow considerations
Can other clinicians contribute ambient recordings for the same note? No. Only one person can contribute recordings for a single note, but you and other clinicians can create multiple notes for the same patient on the same day.
If you're using Dragon Copilot for Epic:
- You must transfer the summaries from Dragon Copilot to Epic within 24 hours of the first ambient recording. To ensure the content transfers automatically, start a note in Epic that includes the Dragon Copilot SmartSections you want, and avoid making any edits within the Dragon Copilot SmartSections until you are ready to finalize your note. After 24 hours, automatic transfers stop and you can no longer use Sync to EHR to transfer the summaries from Dragon Copilot or create additional ambient recordings for that note.
- Using Copy or Copy forward in your Epic note. You can use Copy or Copy forward in a new note in Epic, but consult with your Epic TS on the proper procedure to ensure that new content generated by Dragon Copilot appears in your new note.
- Can you use Dragon Copilot to create multiple progress notes for the same patient within 24 hours? Yes, but you can only work on one progress note at a time. You must finalize your current note before starting a new note to ensure that new ambient recordings in Dragon Copilot contribute to the new note in Epic.
- Can you create ambient recordings for a pre-admit note? No, you can't use Dragon Copilot for Epic to create pre-admit notes outside of the hospital setting at this time. To use Dragon, the patient must first be “arrived/admitted” to the hospital or HOD.
Note
Your Epic configuration might allow hospitalists to record with Dragon Copilot on patient in the ED setting. Consult with your local Epic TS.