See what optimising your forms can do - check out this guide for a selection of pre-optimised form templates
How Instructions and Metadata Work Together
When you set up a form field, you have two places to add guidance:
Instructions - These appear on the form for care workers. They help people understand what information you need and how to answer. Smart Notes reads these too. Instructions can be added to either sections or questions.
Smart Notes Metadata - This is hidden guidance just for the AI. If you want to fine-tune how Smart Notes handles a specific field, metadata gives you that extra control. If you add metadata to a field, it takes priority over instructions.
Most forms work well with just instructions. Metadata is useful if you find Smart Notes needs more specific direction for certain fields.
Read more: Smart Notes Metadata Field
Starting Out - What to Add First
If you’re new to this, begin here. These changes usually make the biggest difference:
Yes/No Questions
Instead of: “Does the client need help with meals?”
Try: “Does the client need help with meals? Answer yes or no. If yes, describe what help is needed.”
Open Text Fields
Instead of: “Morning routine”
Try: “Morning routine - describe the service user’s wake time, personal care needs, breakfast, and any medications given. Keep it to 3-4 sentences.”
Lists of Items
Instead of: “Current medications”
Try: “Current medications - list each one separately, pausing between each medication.”
Dates and Times
Instead of: “Next review date”
Try: “Next review date - say the full date, for example ‘15th January 2025’.”
Which Forms to Start With
You don’t need to update everything at once. These tend to give you the quickest wins:
Daily visit notes (you use these most often, so the payoff is regular)
Initial assessments (each one usually takes 60+ minutes to complete, so better accuracy saves real time)
Care plan reviews (these happen monthly)
Risk assessments (these matter for compliance and need to be accurate)
Updating 3-4 forms usually takes 30-45 minutes and saves you roughly the same amount on each use.
What Happens When You Get It Right
With clear instructions, you’ll notice the difference quickly.
Without good guidance: About 60-70% accuracy, spending 10-15 minutes fixing errors per form.
With clear guidance: Around 90-95% accuracy, needing only 2-5 minutes of minor fixes.
Sorting Out Common Issues
Information lands in the wrong field
Add clearer guidance: “Only describe [specific information] here” or “This field is for service user’s needs only, not family views.”
Too much detail or not enough
Add length guidance: “Answer in 2-3 sentences” or “Give a brief yes or no.”
Multiple people speaking in one recording
Clarify who you want: “Only record information about the service user” or “Include the family member’s perspective here.”
Medical terms or medications are getting mixed up
Add format guidance: “Say medication names clearly, include the dosage” or “Spell out medication names rather than using abbreviations.”
If you’ve tried clearer instructions and a field still isn’t capturing information right, that’s where metadata can help.
You can add more specific AI guidance there without cluttering the form for care workers.
Getting Started
You can update instructions anytime. There’s no need for re-approval, and you can test changes with a practice recording before rolling out to your team.
When you add or change instructions:
Go to your form builder
Click on the field you want to update
Find the Instructions tab and add your guidance
Care workers will see the updated instructions on their next use
If you want to try metadata for specific fields, tenant administrators can add that through the Field Settings panel.
Questions?
Please ask our Digital Assistant for support in the bottom right corner.
Instructions help both your team and Smart Notes. Well-written fields usually work right the first time, which adds up to hours saved each week.