Use AI prompts for queries outside of your note

One of Dragon Copilot's secret powers is the ability to pull information from your note to answer questions about the patient encounter. Did you know you can also use prompts to query trustworthy medical references quickly without interrupting your documentation workflow?

First, you need to enable Information Assist and select the resources you want to use.

How to enable Information Assist

Select Settings.
Select Extensions.
Select Information Assist.
Toggle on the Information Assist extension.
Select the reference sources you wish to include. You must select at least one option.

Steps 1-5 above

How to get answers from your desired reference sources

Now that you have enabled Information Assist and added reference sources, you are ready to ask a question. In this article, we are going to focus on queries from your reference sources.

Enter any queries in the prompt field at the bottom of the Dragon Copilot screen.

Prompt field

When you make queries to learn about the patient story, Dragon Copilot looks within the note for answers. For example, "What medications did the patient mention during the visit for her chronic migraines?”

But when you want to research a topic using your trusted reference sources, Dragon Copilot returns information via the references you've activated. Let's look at an example of how this works.

Ask a question

Type or dictate your question. For example, "What are the common radiographic findings in this type of arthritis?"
Select Send, and then wait for your response to generate.

Steps 1-2 above

Another option to ensure Dragon Copilot searches your activated references is to direct your prompt only at Information Assist by saying or typing Information Assist, Info Assist, or @InfoAssist in your prompt.

Alternatively, turn on Use Information Assist only below the prompt field to direct all prompts to Information Assist only until you turn off that option again.

Prompt field with Use Information Assist only button turned on

Use best practices

To get best results when doing research using trusted references:

Ask single, focused questions. This helps you get more precise answers. "What are the recommended tests for Lyme disease?"
Use clear and established medical terms. This ensures accurate responses from your references. "What are the guidelines for the timing of invasive angiography in patients with NSTEMI according to MSD Manuals?"
Include the patient context by using phrases like "for this patient" to tailor the information to your specific needs. "What is the next step for this patient to reduce statin related muscle pain?"
Specify a particular source from your selected references to ensure it is included in your results. Dragon Copilot will then prioritize the specified reference. "Can this patient continue birth control pills based on guidance from Merck Manuals?"

View a response

After Dragon Copilot generates a response to your query, a dedicated context card pops up with your response. It also appears in the Timeline for you to refer back to at any point.

The top of the card provides a summarized response that aggregates the key information from the sources used.

Below the response, you will find the sources listed for your reference. Each source is clickable and will connect you to the relevant external website.

Sample response on Timeline

Note: Refer back to the original source to verify information and clarify context.

Prompt examples

Here are some prompt examples for querying your trusted sources from within Dragon Copilot. Use any of these or create your own.

What are the CDC recommendations for this patient for the shingles vaccine?
According to the CDC, what are the updated guidelines for COVID-19 vaccination booster doses for individuals who have completed their initial vaccine series?
According to national guidelines, what blood pressure classification does this patient's blood pressure reports point to?
Can his medications cause orthostatic hypotension based on Merck Manuals?
What is the target A1c for this patient?
What does FDA say about Elidel?
Was there a recent tacrolimus recall?
Has there been a recall of tacrolimus recently by the FDA?
According to the CDC - are the patient's symptoms compatible with long covid?
According to MSD Manuals, if my patient has experienced an episode of shingles after previous shingles vaccine, should she continue with scheduled second vaccination?

As you become more comfortable writing queries, you'll see that Dragon Copilot can become more and more valuable to your documentation workflow.

Use AI prompts for queries outside of your note

How to enable Information Assist