Symptoms and Result Templates
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Two of the lists under Definitions exist for the same reason: a visit record is more useful when the clinic writes the same thing the same way every time. Symptoms are what your team picks from; result templates are what they fill in.
Both feed the SOAP note. See Record a visit.
Where to Find This Section
Section titled “Where to Find This Section”Clinic Admin → Definitions, then Symptoms or Result Templates.
Symptoms
Section titled “Symptoms”A symptom is what the owner reports or the examination observes — the complaint. It is not a diagnosis, which is the clinician’s conclusion about it. The two are separate lists for that reason. See Diagnoses.
Adding One
Section titled “Adding One”- Open Definitions → Symptoms.
- Click Add Symptom.
- Name it, choose the species it applies to, and save.
Pet Species keeps the list short where it is used: a symptom tied to dogs does not clutter the list on a cat.
Default and Clinic-Specific
Section titled “Default and Clinic-Specific”As with diagnoses, the list holds two kinds of entry. System-provided ones carry a Default badge, can be used but not changed, and only the symptoms your clinic created can be edited or deleted.
Deleting is permanent: This symptom will be permanently deleted. If a symptom has simply fallen out of use, leaving it costs nothing and keeps old records readable.
Result Templates
Section titled “Result Templates”A result template is a small form your clinic defines once — a blood panel, a urinalysis, an ultrasound report — so that the same test is recorded the same way on every visit rather than as free text somebody has to interpret later.
Building One
Section titled “Building One”- Open Definitions → Result Templates.
- Click Add Result Template.
- Name the template, then add a field for each value you want recorded.
Until you add one, the template is empty: No fields have been added yet. Use the "Add Field" button.
Field Types
Section titled “Field Types”| Type | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Text | A short value on one line |
| Long Text | A comment or an interpretation |
| Number | A measured value. Put the unit in Description |
| Select List | A fixed set of answers — positive/negative, or a grade. Add each with Add Option |
Prefer Select List and Number over free text wherever the answer is really one of a few. That is the whole point of a template: a value you can compare against the same patient’s last visit.
Editing an Existing Template
Section titled “Editing an Existing Template”This is deliberate, and it is the right behaviour for a medical record: a result recorded in March should still read as it did in March, even if the template changed in June. It does mean a template worth getting right is worth getting right early — check the fields and units before the clinic starts using it in earnest.
Related
Section titled “Related”- Record a visit — the SOAP note, where both of these are used
- Diagnoses — the clinician’s conclusion, as opposed to the reported symptom
- Clinic Settings — the rest of this section