Auto Notes  

This feature was added by Lukas Wuster completely on his own initiative.  He did communicate with us as he was working, and we are satisfied that the underlying database table structure is appropriate and sound. You will notice, however, that the user interface and the instructions below have a somewhat different look and feel than other parts of Open Dental.  Below, is the Tutorial as written by Lukas.

Welcome, and thank you for taking the time to read about this wonderful add on to Open Dental called Auto Note. Auto Note automatically creates progress notes from the information that the user enters into the custom form and controls that you create.

The first time you use Auto Note it can be a little daunting and it can take some time to learn and setup. The payoff though, is well worth it. To begin start up Open Dental and go up to Setup-Auto Notes in the Main Menu.

A form named 'Auto Note' will appear (not shown). Click on the button labeled 'Add'. In the next form, click on 'Create New Control' (not shown). The form below left should then appear. The picture on the right is what the actual Auto Note looks like and is used for reference.

Type: Here you can select what type of control that you want this to be ( use the drop down pick list).

Name: This is what you want this control to be named (for example anesthetic, filling material etc.) . The 'Name' field is what you will reference to when setting up the Auto Note. This will not be used in the actual Auto Note.

Label: The 'Label' is what you will see when using the actual Auto Note and will appear right in front of the control. This is usually labeled the same as the Name field.

The preface text: This text is always generated no matter what, in front of the control output.

Multi Line Text Box Text: If you you set the 'Type' field to “Multi Line Text Box” you will have the option to add some text that will always appear preloaded into the multi line text box. This could be useful if you have a lot of text that always needs to be generated but want to be able to edit it in the Auto Note form.

Control Options: If you set the 'Type' field to 'Combo Box' then you can add the items to the combo box here.

For our example we are going to make a a very basic Auto Note for fillings. The first control is used to specify the quantity of anesthetics used. Enter the information so it looks like the picture below.

To enter options for our combo box (.45 cc, .9 cc etc.) simply enter the desired options into the text box and then click 'Add' after each one. If your 'Type' field is not set to 'Combo Box' then you will be unable to do this. Please note that even if you change the 'Type' field, the program will still save the options for the combo box. This can be useful if you later decide that a text box would be better. You can then still revert to a combo box and still have your options saved. Click 'OK' and then click 'Create New Control' again and repeat the process for each of the controls below.

Type: Text Box
Name: Tooth#
Label: Tooth#
The preface text: Tooth#

Type: Combo Box
Name: Reason for filling
Label: Reason for filling
Options:
-caries
-defective
-abfraction

Type: Combo Box
Name: Surfaces
Label: Surfaces
Options:
-O
-MO
-L

Type: Combo Box
Name: Filling Material
Label: Filling Material
Options:
-Brush -n- Bond; Z100
-etch; Fuji glass ionomer

Type: Combo Box
Name: Next visit
Label: Next visit
Options:
- recall
- filling

Type: Multi Line Text Box
Name: End Notes
Label: End Notes
Preface Text: The patient was:

Adding the Controls to the Auto Note

Now that we have created the controls we need to add them to the Auto Note. We will do this in the Auto Note Edit form.

1. This is where you type in the name of the Auto Note. This can be changed later.

2. This list box contains all of the controls that you have created. This list does NOT contain the controls that will be added. Once you create a control you cannot delete it. You can, however, change every aspect of that control by selecting it and clicking 'Edit Control'. To add a control to the Auto Note double click it.

3. This is a list of all the controls that will be added to the Auto Note. To remove a control double click on it to delete it.

4. This is a viewer of the control that is selected in the first list box. You cannot edit the controls here this is just a viewer.

Now its time to add the controls to the Auto Note! Simply double click on the control listed in the left in the order shown on the right. The order is important because this is in what order the controls will be put on the Auto Note form and in what order the output will be. Once you are satisfied click 'OK'. Congratulations, you just created your first Auto Note!

Using Your Auto Note

Now that you have spent all this time setting up your Auto Note you are probably anxious to see what it can do! Select a patient and double click on a progress note you would like to edit. Now, if you look on the right side you will see a new button called 'Auto Note', click on it. The dialog below should appear. Click on the 'Filling' (or the Auto Note that you want to use) in the list box.

Then, like magic, all your custom controls that you created earlier appear! Fill in all of the options according to your liking and click on 'OK'.

The Auto Note output should now appear in the progress notes!

That is it, now was that so hard? As I said before, the final Auto Note design is up to you. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to post your question on the forum or email me at ‘lks_cara@yahoo.com’ and I will try to get back to you as soon as I can.

I would like to the Dr. Sparks for all of his help and my dad for all of his input!

FAQ's

How do I delete an Auto Note?

You cannot delete an Auto Note once it is created. You can edit it completely if you want to though. My suggestion is that instead of creating a new Auto Note you change the name of an old one to what you were going to name your old one.

How do I delete a control?

As with an Auto Note the same goes for the controls: you cannot delete them.

How do I edit an Auto Note?

To edit an Auto Note: in Open Dental go to Setup-Auto Note and then double click on the Auto Note that you want to edit.