Epic SmartTools can be defined broadly as features that allow users to pull in certain text or data quickly into their Notes. Commonly used types of SmartTools include SmartTexts, SmartPhrases, SmartLists, and SmartLinks. A discussion of each, including examples and use cases, is below.
What are SmartTexts?
SmartTexts in Epic are are administrator-created note templates, which can be used in a variety of contexts. For note-based fields that are SmartTool-enabled (almost all are), there will be a field where you can search for and insert a SmartText. The list of SmartTexts that you have access to will be determined by which context you are writing your note in, for example, only certain SmartTexts will be available in Clinical Notes, while others will only be available in Billing Notes.
What are SmartLinks?
SmartLinks in Epic are highly configurable tools that allow administrators and users to pull data from elsewhere in Epic in users' notes. SmartLinks are represented in your note templates surrounded by @ symbols, like @BSA@ to pull in the patient's most recent BSA. Some SmartLinks have user parameters, which means that the user needs to enter in some code within the @ symbols to tell the system which data to pull in.
A common example of this is with the @FLOW@ SmartLink. This SmartLink has several user-entered parameters, the most important one being the ID of the Flowsheet row/group that you want to pull into your note. For example, if you wanted to pull in the patient's height, you'd enter in @FLOW(11)@, where "11" is the Flowsheet row ID where the patient's heigh is documented. The below article delves deeper into Flowsheet SmartLinks:
How to Make a Flowsheet SmartLink in Epic
For a full list of SmartLinks available to you, you can open a note and click the icon with the person and a .? next to it, on your SmartTool toolbar. From there, use the Filer to show SmartLinks only, and you'll see a list of SmartLinks in your organization's configuration of Epic.
What are SmartPhrases?
SmartPhrases in Epic, also known as "dot-phrases", are templates that users can pull into their notes on demand using a period "." followed by the mnemonic of the SmartPhrase, for example, .MYPROGNOTE to pull in your custom Progress Note template.
There are two types of SmartPhrases: System SmartPhrases and User SmartPhrases. Typically, System SmartPhrases are configurable only be administrators, and they are available to all users (or can be restricted by location or department). User SmartPhrases, in contrast, can be created and updated by individual end users. Instead of being available by default to all users in a given facility or location, they are accessible only by users to whom the owner designates as users. Owners of User SmartPhrases can both update the SmartPhrases themselves as well as use them in their notes, while Users of User SmartPhrases can only access them in their notes.
Some common system SmartPhrases include .WNL (for "within normal limits"), .AOS ("aortic sclerosis").
What are SmartLists?
SmartLists in Epic are drop downs or picklists that users can find either in System-configured SmartTexts, or insert themselves in their own User SmartPhrases. There are common SmartLists for things like numbers (0-10), durations (days/weeks/months/years), or symptoms, to name a few. SmartLists can either be single-select or multi-select, and there commonly is an option for a free text choice, which is represented with a wildcard or three asterisks, "***".
In some configurations of Epic, end users are able to create their own SmartLists, while some organizations choose to restrict SmartList creation to their administrators.
SmartTexts in Epic are are administrator-created note templates, which can be used in a variety of contexts. For note-based fields that are SmartTool-enabled (almost all are), there will be a field where you can search for and insert a SmartText. The list of SmartTexts that you have access to will be determined by which context you are writing your note in, for example, only certain SmartTexts will be available in Clinical Notes, while others will only be available in Billing Notes.
