Did you know you can set up SmartPhrases and use SmartLinks in Epic to make communicating with office staff and patients faster and easier? In fact, it’s easier than you think.
Part of the SmartTools feature, SmartPhrases and SmartLinks are charting shortcuts that can be used in many places throughout Epic, such as notes and patient instructions, to pull various information into your documentation. They can be utilized for anything from patient history and clinical data to medications/allergies and lab results.
SmartPhrases
SmartPhrases (or dot phrases) allow you to type a few characters that automatically expand to a longer phrase, paragraph, or template. For example, typing .HPIPNEU and selecting the HPIPNEUMONIAGEN SmartPhrase expands to an HPI template for pneumonia.
To quickly create a SmartPhrase:
- Highlight some text and click the green plus sign at the top of the field.
- Give it a name and press Accept.
- Anytime you want to use that phrase or text in a note or message, just type a period and the name of your new SmartPhrase.
SmartLinks
SmartLinks can help you quickly pull or “link” information from the patient's chart directly into your documentation. Like SmartPhrases, SmartLinks start with a period (dot). For example, try .LASTCHEM or .LASTCBC to cite the last chemistry or CBC in your note.
To find a list of available SmartLinks:
- Right click in a note.
- Select SmartPhrases>Show SmartPhrase List.
- On the right side of the pop-up check SmartLinks and uncheck the other options.
- Use the Search field at the top of the box.
To receive video instructions on how to set up these SmartTools, please email ClinicalConnections@providence.org.
