Are you tired of spending hours deciphering your colleagues’ EMR notes or struggling to understand your own? Excessive details in documentation can lead to confusion and decreased productivity. Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” It’s time to declutter your documentation and unlock the benefits of clear, structured clinical notes.

Why you should write clearer notes

Bloated notes clutter up space on your screen and in your thought process, wasting cognitive energy and diverting your attention from what matters most.

The benefits:

• Enhanced communication: Clear notes facilitate better follow-ups and communication between physicians and other providers.
• Efficiency: Clear notes are generally shorter and quicker to write, allowing more time for patient care.
• Credibility: Clear notes showcase your ability to summarize and understand clinical cases, enhancing your credibility as a skilled clinician.
• Satisfaction: Writing clear notes is satisfying!

What is a clear clinical note?

A clear clinical note employs the fewest words possible to convey a message effectively, emphasizing the encounter and decision-making process.

Characteristics of clear notes:

• Concise, straightforward language
• Accurate and unambiguous wording
• Easily identifiable key elements
• Structured note formatting
• Logical organization

Tips for writing clear notes

Many physicians struggle to resist adding marginally useful information to their notes. Prioritize substance to prevent information dilution. If your notes are bloated, start making an effort to document more concisely. This will help organize and clarify your thoughts. Over time, lean documentation will become easier.

Before documenting any element, ask yourself:

• Is this element relevant to my patient?
• Is this relevant to my colleagues?
• Is this relevant for billing purposes?
• Is this relevant from a legal perspective?

If the answers are all “no,” consider cutting that part from your note. Embrace the elegance of simplicity and avoid complicating your documentation.

Strategies for clear notes:

• Use bullet-point lists when appropriate.
• Bold important points for emphasis.
• Incorporate standard abbreviations to save space.
• After completing a clinical note, review it for clarity. You don’t need to rewrite it; just learn from it to improve future documentation. With practice, your documentation will become more concise, organized, and ultimately more rewarding.

Pitfalls to avoid

As you work towards improving your EMR notes, be mindful of potential pitfalls. Avoid omitting crucial details, as this can impact patient care or lead to legal and billing issues. Use only well-accepted abbreviations to ensure your notes remain clear and easily understood by your colleagues. Also, avoid over-formatting; simplicity is key.

Conclusion

As a physician, your daily goals involve providing quality care and enjoying a fulfilling workday. Cluttered notes can hinder these objectives. By prioritizing simplicity and functionality in your EMR notes, you’ll emphasize the encounter description and your decision-making process, leading to improved communication, efficiency, and overall satisfaction in your daily work.

Charles Tanguay is a physician and the visionary founder of Dilato, an innovative tool that uses clickable templates designed to alleviate the documentation burden for physicians. Hundreds of templates are available to try out. He is also the creator of the Template Generator, a free tool to create medical templates on any topic, using AI.