The Assistant uses advanced AI to do (almost) whatever you ask it to!
Creating Notes with the Assistant
Use Existing Templates (Talkatexts)
What is the Assistant and what can it do?
The Talkatoo Dictation Assistant is an intelligent, conversational AI. Tell the Assistant to write a full email, fill in any template, rewrite any text, and anything else you can think of!
Using the Assistant differs slightly in that it is done in a Talkatoo window instead of directly into your program. Once you have results you're satisfied with, you can copy it, and then paste it anywhere you like.
How to use the Assistant
Before we start, a quick disclaimer
While we have taken precautions, because this feature relies on artificial intelligence, it is important to proofread any output carefully to ensure nothing was incorrectly modified, or that significantly changes the meaning of the text.
If you do run into a change that you feel is incorrect and potentially changes the meaning of your text, please let us know immediately. The best way to do this is to email support@talkatoo.com, including the before and after text or at least screenshots of both versions. See here for how to access the previous text.
To start using the Assistant, Click on the plus sign on the Talkatoo bar. 
Clicking the plus sign will expand the toolbar into this larger window. Choose Assistant to get started.
This is where you will dictate, instead of directly into your software.
Creating a note with the Assistant
Before getting started, it's important to understand what a prompt is when it comes to interacting with an LLM, or Large Language Model.
A prompt is the instruction you give to the AI. You can speak to it as if it's a person, so there are no special keywords required, but it's still artificial intelligence, so sometimes it can misinterpret an instruction. We've found that there is often a bit of trial and error figuring out the exact prompt you need for your desired outcome, so starting with a more general prompt and then adding specific instructions works best.
Customizable Prompts
In the screen above you'll see several options including Format the following as a SOAP:, and the last one Insert Talkatext.
The first 3 options are customizable quick prompts that you can click on and start dictating immediately. Clicking the pencil icon on the right allows you to change it to any prompt you find yourself using frequently. You can include formatting instructions, things to always or never include, default values or anything else you need to tell it.
Feel free to revise the prompt as necessary to get the desired outcome.
Talkatexts
The 4th entry is the Talkatexts dropdown. This allows you to automatically insert any of your existing Talkatexts directly into the prompt. Most of the time, you would use this by creating a template in a Talkatext, and selecting that.
Click here to learn more about creating Talkatexts.
You would then want to start off the note by telling the Assistant to use the above template for the following note. Alternatively, if you only plan to use this note in the Assistant, you can add that right into the Talkatext.
For example (I will use a basic SOAP note but know you can make it much more robust and detailed):
Making the Note
Whether you're using a preset prompt, a Talkatext, or starting from scratch with a blank field, you can either dictate a new note into the field, type it out, copy and paste a note or transcript from elsewhere, or any combination of the three.
For example: You could paste the transcript from a previously recorded note, dictate some additional information you want to add, such as test results, follow ups etc., and then type out the unusual spelling of the animals name, telling it that this is the correct spelling.
You do not need to speak punctuation, as all of that will be handled automatically.
Let's start off by dictating a note:
Once you stop the dictation, it will take it and format it appropriately, making any necessary corrections.
Carry on a conversation
What makes this tool so powerful is that it is conversational. This means that it knows what you've already asked (within this same session), so you can ask it to add or refine something without starting over.
Automatically fill in any of your templates.
The above way to select a Talkatext is easier, but it is only available from the New page, so if needed, you can still use this older method of speaking the regular Insert command.
You can use your Talkatext the same way you would normally, by saying "insert <Talkatext name>". It will insert it right into the note. If it's a template, you can go on to direct Talkatoo to fill it in with the previous note. It's smart enough to know exactly what you mean.
To take it a step further, you could then direct it to "Also write an email to the owner, Bill Smith, outlining our findings, recommendations and treatment". This will generate a professionally written and well formatted email that you can copy and paste directly into your email program.
It's incredibly powerful software, and has the potential to save you a ton of time everyday!
More Examples
Here are just a few more examples of some prompts that some of our fantastic users have been using:
Write me discharge instructions for Sue Smith who is the owner of
Sam for a routine neuter procedure including carprofen and trazodone
to go home and a recheck in 7-10 days
Write a full procedure report for patient Baxter, unblocking a cat with
FLUTD and obstruction. Sedated with butorphanol, diazepam, and
ketamine. Uneventful catheterization with closed end Tomcat and
cleared the obstruction with saline flush. Indwelling red rubber catheter
placed with closed system and diuresis on 2 times maintenance.
Write me a dental report for a 12 year old spayed female DSH with
routine COHAT and extraction of 307 and 407 due to resorptive
lesions, closure with 4-0 monocryl. Stable anesthesia.
Write a full radiology report of a 3 view abdominal radiograph,
revealing foreign material in the stomach, excessive gas, and
mineralized Renal Pelvises, all else is normal, taken on September
23rd by doctor Shawn, for patient Fluffy owned by Jen Smith
Once you are happy with the note, you can hover over any sections of the note you want to keep, and click the copy button that appears on the top right.
Then navigate to whichever program and text field in which you want the text, and paste it in.
Copying and pasting
While some programs offer you the ability to right click (Control + Click on Mac) and then choose Copy or Paste, the much faster option is the built in keyboard shortcuts which can be used anywhere:
Windows
- Copy text that is selected by holding down Ctrl and pressing, then releasing the letter C.
Note there is usually no indication it did anything. - Paste text by holding down Ctrl and pressing, then releasing the letter V.
- Copy text that is selected by holding down command (
)and pressing, then releasing the letter C.
Note there is usually no indication it did anything. - Paste text by holding down Ctrl and pressing, then releasing the letter V.
Sessions
A session is the sequence of communication between you and the Assistant, including any replies or additional requests. Within a session, you can refer to earlier posts, as when we inserted the template above, and then told it to fill in this template with the note from above.
It is important to start a new session when moving on to a new subject or client to avoid confusion and mixing of records.
New Session
To start a new session, click New + on the top right. This will clear the existing session, so you can't reference
Previous Session
If you close the session or move on before getting the text you need, you can click <Prev on the top left to go back to previous sessions. Note that once you quit Talkatoo, or restart the computer, these sessions are gone, so ensure you are copying them right away.
Collapsing/hiding the window
If you need to hide the large window and return to the regular small Talkatoo bar, you can click Collapse. Whether you're done using it, or just need to be able to see what's behind it.
This will cause the window to be hidden, but it will not delete any existing text, which will still be there if you open it back up, so if you need to see some information behind the window, you can safely collapse it without losing anything.
Moving the window
With the Assistant open, you can click and drag the top bar to move the entire window around. Be careful not to click Sign Out. Clicking on top of your name and dragging the window is the safest option.
Accessing the Menu
You can still access the menu by clicking on the 3 dots, or the word Menu. The menu will look a bit different, as it takes up the entire window, but will function the exact same.
As this is still a relatively new feature of Talkatoo, and is using Artificial Intelligence, be sure to proofread all output, and please let us know if you run into any issues or bugs by emailing us at support@talkatoo.com.