Why a template only helps if it fits the operation

Your operation report templates hold your technique: how you describe the steps, the complications you explain at consent, the findings you record and your post-operative plan. When you dictate in theatre, the report is written from that template, so you only need to say what was different about the case.

That works well when the template matches the operation. It works less well when you have never written one for the operation on the list, or when the only template you have is for a related procedure. Building a template from scratch takes time, and you would not necessarily find out about the gap until you went to generate the report.

Build an operation report template with the AI helper

The template builder now has a Build template with AI option. You can still fill a template in by hand. The helper is for the first draft.

  1. Name the operation. Start a new template, or arrive from a prompt on an appointment with the name already filled in.
  2. Say how you do it. Type, or press Dictate, and talk through the operation as you would to a registrar. A guide beside the box lists what to cover: other names for the operation, the risks you explain at consent, anaesthetic and positioning, each step, what varies between patients, the findings you record, closure and post-operative care. Skip anything that does not apply.
  3. Build the template. The helper turns what you said into a draft of the template fields.
  4. Review the draft. Nothing is saved to your template yet. This is the step that matters, and it is covered next.
  5. Apply it. Once you have checked it, apply it to the template and edit anything you like.

A finished template holds a name, complications, findings, description and plan. It can also hold alternative names for the operation, and a dictation guide for theatre: a checklist of what to say and a sample dictation. If a template already has content, the helper switches to update mode. You say only what has changed, such as a different instrument setting, and everything you do not mention stays as it was.

The review step: what you check before anything is applied

The review screen shows the draft fields beside a list of notes from the helper. The notes point out gaps, such as a step you did not mention. Blanks are marked ***. Blood loss, complications and finding values are meant to stay blank in the template, because they are filled from your theatre dictation each time you write a report. Choices you described, such as left or right, appear as options, and steps that only apply sometimes are marked as conditional.

The helper may also suggest risks you did not mention. Each one is marked Suggested, and each is kept only if you choose Keep. Complications are shown to patients at consent, so the decision stays with you. Apply stays unavailable until you have decided on every suggested risk and ticked the box confirming you have checked the fields.

Figure 1. The review step, with a suggested risk waiting for your decision (illustrative mock, synthetic content).

Know which template your operation report will use

The second update is about transparency. In the lead-up to a Surgery appointment, from the day before, ApolloScribe reads the planned procedure and checks it against the attending surgeon's own templates. It uses the signed consent when there is one, and otherwise the planned surgery text staff entered. If staff change that text, or you add, remove or rename a template, the check runs again. While it runs, the appointment says "Checking op report templates…".

Figure 2. How a planned operation is checked against your templates before you generate the report (illustrative diagram).

The appointment then shows one of four states, always in words and an icon, never by colour alone.

  • Matched. Every planned procedure has an exact template. Nothing is flagged. Hover over the surgery line to see which templates are ready. Example: planned "Adenoidectomy", template "Adenoidectomy".
  • Near-match template. There is no exact template, but you have one for a closely related operation. The appointment shows "Near-match template" and a line such as "Tonsillectomy uses Tonsil reduction (intracapsular)". Select it for an explanation. Another example: planned "Sphincter pharyngoplasty" with only "Pharyngeal flap" saved.
  • Missing template. You have nothing related. A warning names the procedures, for example "No template for Total thyroidectomy", and selecting it opens the template builder with that name filled in.
  • Partial. Some planned procedures are covered and some are not. The warning names the ones that are not.
Figure 3. The four appointment states, each with an icon and text (illustrative mock, synthetic procedures).

The warning before you generate

When a Surgery appointment has a near match or a missing template, a dialog appears before the report is generated. It lists the planned procedures that use a near-match template, and those with none. It never blocks you. You can generate anyway, cancel, or select a procedure to open the template builder with that operation's name already filled in. If there is no template at all, the dialog says plainly that the report will be written from the dictation alone.

Figure 4. The dialog before generation, with a near-match list, a missing-template warning and the option to carry on (illustrative mock).

What ApolloScribe does and does not do

The aim is to show you what the report will be based on, not to make a decision for you. A few points are worth stating plainly.

  • A near match is a starting point, not a claim that two operations are the same. Tonsil reduction and tonsillectomy share steps, but the differences are yours to know. Review the report with that in mind.
  • You are never asked to accept or reject a match. The notice tells you which template the report will draw on. Nothing in your workflow waits on it.
  • Only your own templates are used. A match must be one of the attending surgeon's saved templates or one of their alternative names for it.
  • The AI-built template is a draft. It can only work from what you told it, and it can miss things. The notes and the review step exist so you find those gaps before the template is applied.
  • Clinical judgement stays with you. Check every report before you sign it. A matched template does not mean the report is correct.

What changes for practice staff

Look at the surgery line on the appointment. If nothing is flagged, nothing is needed. If it says Near-match template, select it to see which template will be used, and let the surgeon know if the operation is one they would prefer to have its own. If it says No template or Template missing, select it to open the template builder with the operation's name filled in. Templates are the surgeon's own record of their technique, so the surgeon should write or approve the content.

If the planned surgery text on the booking is out of date or too vague, correct it. The check runs again when it changes, and the notice updates. Once a new template exists with that name, the affected upcoming surgeries are checked again automatically.

Related: see how templates fit into the full pre-consult to report workflow on the ApolloScribe page for surgical specialists.