One of the most powerful features of the Elation integration is the ability to pull relevant patient information directly from Elation to inform your AI-generated clinical notes. By adding context such as recent encounter notes, lab reports, or the patient's health profile, you can generate more comprehensive and contextually-aware documentation.
This article explains what context is available, how to select it, and best practices for getting the best results.
What Context Can You Add from Elation?
When you add context from Elation, you can select from three categories of patient information:
Recent Encounter Notes
Up to 20 most recent notes from the patient's chart
Includes all note types (office visits, telehealth, specialist consultations, etc.)
Helps provide clinical continuity and reference previous assessments
Recent Reports
Up to 20 most recent reports from the patient's chart including:
Laboratory reports
Imaging reports (X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, ultrasounds, etc.)
Other diagnostic reports
Helps inform clinical decision-making with objective data
Health Profile
Complete patient health profile including:
Demographics: Basic patient information
Medications: Current medication list
Problem List: Active diagnoses and conditions
Allergies: Known allergies and reactions
History Sections: Comprehensive patient history organized by type
Health Profile History Sections
The health profile includes multiple history sections based on available data:
Past Medical History
Past Surgical History
Family History (includes relationships for structured family history)
Social History
Habits
Diet History
Exercise History
Immunization History
Legal History
Consultation History
Health Maintenance
Cognitive Status
Functional Status
Each section shows relevant history items, sorted by rank. Family history items may include relationship information for structured entries.
How to Add Context from Elation
Step 1: Start a New Encounter
Click New Encounter in the top left of Attend
Click the tile that says "Add content to be used in your note"
Select "Add from EHR"
Step 2: Select Your Patient
Choose your patient from today's schedule or search by name
Click on the patient's tile to select them
The context selection screen will appear
Step 3: Choose Context Items
You'll see three sections with available context:
Recent Encounter Notes
Browse through the list of recent notes
Each note will show the date and type
Click the checkbox next to any note you want to include
Recent Reports
Browse through the list of recent reports
Each report will show the date and type (lab, imaging, etc.)
Click the checkbox next to any report you want to include
Health Profile
The complete health profile is available as a single item
Click the checkbox to include the entire health profile
Step 4: Add Selected Items
Review your selections
Click the "Add Selected Items" button
The selected context will be added to your encounter
You can now proceed with recording your patient conversation
Step 5: Complete Your Encounter
Press "Start Recording" to begin capturing the conversation
Conduct your patient visit
Press "End and Process Encounter" when finished
Attend will generate your note using both the conversation transcript and the context you provided from Elation
💡 Tip: The AI will automatically incorporate relevant information from the context into appropriate sections of your note, such as referencing recent lab values in your assessment or noting changes from the previous visit.
Context Selection Best Practices
No Limit on Context Selection
There is no system-imposed limit on how much context you can add. You can select multiple notes, multiple reports, and the health profile all at once.
However, more context is not always better. See the best practices section below for guidance.
Select Only Relevant Information
⚠️ Important: AI systems perform best when given focused, relevant information. Including too much context or irrelevant context can actually reduce the accuracy and quality of your generated notes.
Keep the Health Profile Up To Date
If you plan to include health profile information as context in your notes, be sure to remove any incorrect or obsolete information to avoid introducing inaccuracies in your notes.
Guidelines for selecting context:
✅ DO include:
Recent notes from the past 1-3 visits that relate to the current visit
Lab or imaging reports that are relevant to today's clinical decision-making
Health profile when you need comprehensive background information
❌ AVOID including:
Notes with information that is likely to be outdated, unless directly relevant
Many previous notes "just in case"
Reports or labs that with information that isn't germane to the current visit
Potentially conflicting information (e.g., multiple notes covering the same topic where one contains an updated understanding of the topic)
Examples of Good Context Selection
Example 1: Follow-up for Diabetes Management
Select: Most recent encounter note (last visit's assessment and plan)
Select: Recent HbA1c and lipid panel
Select: Health profile (for current medications and problem list)
Skip: Imaging reports from an unrelated issue, very old notes
Example 2: New Problem Visit with Known Patient
Select: Most recent 1-2 encounter notes (for continuity)
Select: Any relevant recent labs or imaging
Select: Health profile (for allergies, medications, and medical history)
Skip: Old notes covering different issues
Example 3: Routine Preventive Visit
Select: Previous annual physical note (for comparison)
Select: Recent screening labs (if applicable)
Select: Health profile (especially health maintenance section)
Skip: Acute visit notes from the past year
Quality Over Quantity
Focus on:
Recency: Recent information is usually most relevant
Relevance: Does this relate to today's visit?
Necessity: Will this information improve the note, or just add noise?
Common Questions
Q: Can I add context after I've started recording?
A: No. Context must be added before you start recording your encounter. Plan ahead and select your context items first.
Q: Will all the context I add appear in my final note?
A: No. Attend's AI will use the context to inform the note generation, but it only includes relevant information in the appropriate sections. The context helps the AI understand the patient's clinical picture, but it won't copy entire notes or reports into your documentation.
Q: What if I select the wrong items?
A: If you haven't started recording yet, you can remove context items by clicking on the delete button over each context item's card. Once you've started recording, the context is set for that encounter.
Q: Can I save favorite context selections for specific patients?
A: Not currently. You'll need to select context items each time you create a new encounter.
Q: Does adding context slow down note generation?
A: Adding context increases might increase processing time slightly, but the impact is minimal. The quality improvement from relevant context typically outweighs the small increase in processing time.
Q: Should I always include the health profile?
A: The health profile is comprehensive and useful for most visits. Include it when you need background information about medications, allergies, problem list, or patient history. It's particularly valuable for new problems or complex patients.
Q: What if a patient has no recent notes or reports?
A: That's fine. You can still generate notes without any context, or select only the health profile. The AI will create documentation based solely on your conversation transcript.
Q: What if I want to add some context that isn't on the chart?
A: You can add text content or attach a pdf such as a lab report or pdf version of a consultation letter. Simply click the "Add context" button and then select "Upload PDF" or "Add text"