Choosing the Right Text Expander for Medical Doctors

Working as a doctor comes with the challenges of complex medical practice every day. 

A lot of work. A lot of responsibilities. 

And to make things worse, administration and paperwork frequently take up an excessive amount of your valuable time.

But should it really be like that?

Definitely not. In fact, certain tools, such as text expanders, can free you from administrative burdens and let you focus on what you do best – patient care. 

But how do you pick the best tool? And how does it work in practice? 

Read on to discover practical advice and the solution that will change your career.

What is a text expander?

A text expander is a piece of software that facilitates typing more quickly. For lengthy phrases or sentences you use frequently, you may build shortcodes. 

The shortcode transforms into the entire text when you write it and press a key. In jobs like customer service, writing, coding, or medicine, where you write the same things very often, it saves time.

In the “Emergency Medicine Residents on Electronic Medical Records” study, Maxwell A. Hockstein and colleagues emphasize the importance of using shortcuts, such as “dot phrases” or “macros,” in EMRs. 

These shortcuts streamline tasks like creating return precautions and using clinical decision tools like the PERC rule. The article also stresses the need to customize text blocks for individual patient needs. It especially highlights the importance of adhering to departmental policies for better documentation.

In the upcoming sections, we will mainly concentrate on selecting the ideal text expander for medical doctors. 

So, let’s proceed.

4 Important guidelines when choosing a text expansion tool

Many tools show promise, but the fact is that few ultimately live up to expectations. 

For this reason, adhere to these few essential principles to help you choose the tool that will make your job easier.

Make sure it is adapted to your medical needs

Medical practice has its own unique terminology and record-keeping needs. You should be able to easily create and use medical terms and phrases with your chosen tool.

Ultimately, you gain a lot from choosing a tool designed for doctors because it is suited to your unique requirements. In other words, you don’t need to waste time adapting it before using it.

Intuitive interface

It is also important to choose a tool with an interface that is intuitive and easy to use. 

Complex tools with intricate and cluttered settings will only take away your precious time and complicate the process.

On the other hand, a well-designed interface makes learning and using it quick and easy without extensive training.

Efficiency and ability to import data

Finding tools that are streamlined for speed and efficiency will be crucial for freeing up your time.

Also, you probably already have existing documents and templates stored in Word or Excel. And you certainly don’t want to manually re-enter it all.

A text expansion tool should make it easy to import that data for you to use. In essence, it should enable data input and document analysis for quicker template creation.

Adaptability and scalability

As your medical practice expands and changes, it’s vital to pick a flexible text expander. It should effortlessly adapt to your evolving needs and simplify adjustments in your work environment. 

At its core, a good expansion tool should:

• Allow you to easily create, change, or remove shortcuts to match your evolving needs.
• Provide options for how shortcuts expand, whether by pressing a key or using trigger words.
• Enable collaboration among multiple users on the same shortcuts for consistency.
• Offer integration with other software, such as EHR systems and word processors.
• Include the ability to view the change history and revert to previous versions when necessary.
• Allow for efficient updating and organizing of your shortcuts.
• Be usable on various devices.
• Facilitate quick location of the shortcuts you need as your list expands.

What makes PhraseExpander so unique compared to the competition?

All of the benefits mentioned above are crucial when choosing the right tool. But is there really a tool that offers all of this?

There is indeed. And one of these tools is PhraseExpander.

Below, we’ll explore how PhraseExpander can be your ally in saving time and creating better medical notes.

Specifically designed for doctors

PhraseExpander was designed specifically for medical doctors’ needs. This means it provides unique features and options tailored to medical terminology and how doctors work.
For instance, check this medical transcription terms list:

And here’s a drug list autocomplete, a helpful tool for doctors tired of typing out complex medicine names manually.

Integration with existing data

Your work will be even more productive thanks to PhraseExpander’s ability to import information from Word and Excel.  

It can also analyze your current documents and extract the words and phrases that are used the most. As a result, using the content you already have becomes much easier.

Below, you can see how this looks in practice.

Easy template creation and customization 

Even if you are not an IT expert, PhraseExpander helps you to generate templates easily. This means you can quickly convert commonly used forms and documents into templates. 

Furthermore, it removes the need for manual copying and pasting and reduces the possibility of sensitive information being shared.

To gain a more comprehensive insight into its functionality, I’ve selected the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) as a representative example. 

This 30-point questionnaire is widely utilized in medical and research contexts to assess cognitive abilities (e.g. dementia diagnosis).

Below, you’ll find a template to calculate the MMSE score based on your patient’s answers.

Also, one of PhraseExpander’s key strengths is its ability to be customized. You can completely customize the templates to meet your specific requirements.

For example, you can easily change the name of an entire note with a single click. This allows you to personalize each note for the patient without spending time editing.

Universal autocorrect and autocomplete

PhraseExpander is your partner in maintaining spelling accuracy, too. 

It will automatically correct spelling mistakes and complete difficult-to-write medical terms as you type.

Once you set up the templates in PhraseExpander, you’ll find that the new system is more reliable and less stressful than going through transcribed notes.

This is primarily because the system can generate text with precision and consistency. It significantly reduces errors and minimizes the need for extensive manual corrections.

Effortless template sharing and portability

Whether you work with other doctors in your practice or have staff to help you, PhraseExpander makes it easy to share templates.

This means the whole team can use the same templates and be consistent in documentation.

Moreover, you don’t have to worry about working at multiple clinics. Your templates travel with you. This allows you to have consistent documentation regardless of where you work.

Ready-made medical templates

A unique selection of pre-made medical templates (made by other doctors) is available through PhraseExpander. 

This means you can utilize pre-existing templates that are designed for use in particular medical scenarios.
Also, PhraseExpander’s features, such as dynamic forms and macros, allow for comprehensive customization and automation. Consequently, you’ll be more productive and save your precious time.

Video tutorials and support

With PhraseExpander, you’ll never feel alone or lost in the software’s depths. It has an extensive knowledge base and video lessons that will soon turn you into an experienced user. 

If you have any queries or require support, the PhraseExpander team will provide you with a response within a few hours.

Final Thoughts

Time-consuming writing and documentation are no longer necessary. 

Instead, PhraseExpander enables you to make important documents like medical notes and diagnoses more quickly, accurately, and flexibly.

You will also have enough time to enjoy your most important function – caring for and treating patients.

That’s why investing in the right tool pays off big time.