Name it → Build it → Copy it
- Name it. Letters, numbers and underscores. It becomes
.YOURNAME.
- Build it. Add blocks in order. Each block starts on a new line in the finished phrase. To put a SmartLink inside a sentence, type @ in the text, or join a block onto the line above.
- Copy it. Copy for Epic copies the phrase body. Paste it into SmartPhrase Manager.
The four blocks
- Text
- Your own words, copied exactly as typed.
- Wildcard
*** — a blank the person documenting fills in later.- SmartLink
- A token such as
@TD@ that pulls information from Epic. Availability varies by organization.
- SmartList
- A plan for a list of choices. This tool cannot create a working SmartList — it copies a placeholder and setup notes so you can build it in Epic.
What the labels mean
- Ready to copy
- Nothing left to fix here. It does not mean Epic has checked it.
- Check in Epic
- Confirm the item works the way you expect in your Epic setup.
- Set up in Epic
- Something you still need to create or insert in Epic, such as a SmartList from a plan.
Finish in Epic
- Open SmartPhrase Manager and create the phrase with the name you copied.
- Paste the body.
- Replace each
[[INSERT …]] placeholder using Epic’s insert tools. Copy setup notes lists them.
- Test the phrase in your approved training or test area before clinical use.
Keyboard
- @ in text
- Suggests SmartLinks, SmartLists and wildcards at the cursor; keep typing to filter. Enter or Tab inserts, Esc dismisses. Your typing is never redirected. On touch, the @ button on the block opens a searchable list.
- Backspace after a token
- Selects the whole token. Press again to remove it. Undo brings it back.
- Enter in text
- New line. Press twice for a blank line between paragraphs. Faint ↵ and ¶ marks show breaks while you edit; they are never copied.
- Alt + ↑/↓
- Move the selected block.
- Esc
- From a field, select its block. Again to deselect.
- Delete
- Remove a selected block (when the block itself is focused). Undo brings it back.
- Ctrl + Z
- Undo block changes when you are not in a text field.
Your data
Your draft is saved only in this browser. Nothing is uploaded. This tool is not connected to Epic, does not publish or approve clinical content, and has not been clinically validated. Do not enter patient information.
Further reading
Independent project by Paul Peck. Not made, approved or supported by Epic Systems Corporation. Epic, SmartPhrase, SmartLink and SmartList are used only to describe compatibility.