How to Edit Existing Templates in the Template Library

In the Template Library you have the option to preview any of your existing templates and see an example of what it would look like in a consultation - and you have the option to edit these standard templates to match your style.

To get Started

To edit a template, go to the left menu and click on it in Templates → Library.

Then click on the template you'd like to edit - a preview will open. Then click "Edit Template".

What you can edit - basics

Every template can be adjusted in safe, controlled ways.

You can always edit:

• Template name

• Description

• Category (e.g. Consult Notes, Care Plans & Assessments)

• Favourite status

These changes only affect how the template appears in your Library and Recording Page.

Editing the template structure 

The structure tells the AI how to write the document.

This is where you control:

• What sections appear

• What style is used

• What rules the AI must follow

The structure is written in plain English instructions.

There are two levels of editing (most doctors only need level 1)

1. Making small, safe changes (most common)

If you just want to:

• Add or remove a sentence

• Adjust headings

• Change how detailed the note is

• Add a standard consent line

• Slightly tighten or shorten notes

You can safely:

• Edit or delete individual sentences

• Add instructions like “keep brief” or “max 5 dot points”

• Remove sections you don’t want (e.g. History)

Example instruction – adding a standard consent line:

ALWAYS add the sentence at start of note: Patient agreed to consultation audio being temporarily recorded for transcription, and has been offered the Privacy Notice.

2. Using a template as a base for a new one (advanced but optional)

If you want to:

• Build a highly structured consult note

• Enforce a specific medico-legal style

• Control how multiple issues are split

• Match a very specific formatting preference

You should:

• Use Save as New Template

• Treat the existing template as a starting point

• Adjust the key sections described below

Understanding the main parts of a template

You can edit your template by making changes to the main Template Structure prompts:

To make effective changes, it's important to understand the parts of the structure. You can find them inside the editing view, in the Guide tab - or detailed below.

1. Section headings

Simple headings help the AI know where information belongs.

Example:

Problem list
History
Examination
Plan

Clear headings produce more predictable, medico-legible notes.

2. Smart gaps

Smart gaps tell the AI what to fill in from the consultation.

Use:

• [ ] or ^

Example: 

3. Fixed text

Text wrapped in quotation marks is inserted exactly as written every time.

Best used for:

• Consent statements

• Signatures

• Standard disclaimers

Example:

"Drafted by mAIscribe, sighted by Dr Paul"

Instructions in brackets tell the AI how to behave.

They are critical for:

• Medico-legal consistency

• Brevity

• Omitting sections when nothing was discussed

Example:

(If no medication mentioned, write "Nil known")
(If there are no examination findings in the transcript, dont include this section in your output and instead skip to the next section.)

If you are more familiar with prompting and AI mark-up language, you might want to try the Advanced Settings of the template.

Simply click on the "Advanced Settings" dropdown to open the section.

You'll be able to edit or add:

• ROLE – who the AI is acting as

• GOAL – what the document is meant to be

• STYLE – tone, abbreviations, formatting

• CONTENT – what to include or exclude

• RULES – logic the AI must follow

These sections:

• Do not appear in the final note

• Act as “guardrails” for the AI

• Are especially useful if you want very short, structured notes

You can edit these safely by:

• Tightening wording

• Removing rules you don’t need

• Adding clarity (e.g. “MAX 5 dot points”)

Testing your edits

In order to check if your edits are producing the desired outcome, you test your template. Simply click the Test Template button.

A pop up will open - If you have real consultations saved, you can choose one of them to test your Template or generate a mock consultation. Click on your preferred one.

AI will use the chosen consult to generate a Preview of your template - how it would perform agains the recording provided.

You should use this to refine your template and decide when it is ready to be used. 

It can take 5~10 seconds to generate a preview:

Once it's processed, you'll see a Preview appear:

Saving your changes

Once you’re happy, choose one of the following buttons at the top right corner:

Save as New Template

Use this if:

• You started from a standard mAIscribe template

• You want to keep the original unchanged

• You’re experimenting

When saving as new, AI will add the date of editing by default to the name of your template. You can change this if you'd like. 
The new template will appear at the top of your Template Library.

Update Template

Available for:

• Templates you own - like custom templates

• Templates you previously created or saved

Tips for best results:

• Be specific, not verbose

• Avoid repeating the same rule in multiple places

• Tell the AI what to skip, not just what to include

• If something must always happen, say “ALWAYS”

• If something is optional, say “ONLY if mentioned”

If you’re not sure where to start

Start small:

• Add or remove one sentence

• Test

• Save as new

• Use it once

That’s enough to improve your output meaningfully.

If you want help creating or refining a template, the mAIscribe team can also create custom templates for you. Find out more about it here.