Custom Template and Custom Instruction Writing Guide

This article reviews how to write an effective instruction in CoVet, also called a “prompt”. This will be helpful when creating either a Custom Template or a Custom Instructions, two keys features you’ll want to leverage in order to get CoVet to mesh with your personal style.  

What are Custom Templates and Custom 

Instructions? 

Templates are basically instruction sets that tell CoVet’s AI how to format and output a document. Generating using different templates will result in different output documents. For example, one might create a SOAP record and another might create an email to a client, resulting in two very different documents even when running from the same input materials. 

• A Custom Template is a template you can create in CoVet yourself, from scratch. You can use it to create any type of output document you like. The sky’s the limit! 
• A Custom Instruction is a shorter instruction that runs on top of, and takes priority over instructions inside an existing template. It’s a way you can tell CoVet to “Do everything you normally would for the template, except change this, that and the other thing. It’s worth noting a Custom Instruction can work at the template level, or you can set a Custom Instruction at the account level so it affects all of your templates. 

Keep reading below to find out what makes for a good Custom Template or Custom Instruction - the principles are very similar between the two!  

In addition to an overview, we’ve populated this document with information about formatting and specific real-world examples we hope you will find helpful as a source of inspiration!  

What Makes a Good Instruction/Prompt? 

   Goals and Objectives: 

   Define the overarching purpose and desired outcome of the content. 

   Tone, Perspective, and Audience Specification: 

   Specify the style, voice, point of view, and target audience to tailor language and complexity. 

   Contextual Information: 

   Provide background details and situational factors influencing content generation. 

   Formatting Instructions: 

   Describe how content should be structured, including layout and presentation specifics. 

   Content Instructions: 

   Offer guidance on the specific information to include in each section or element. 

   Interactivity and Dependencies: 

   Include conditional logic and indicate relationships between sections or elements. 

Formatting and Special Characters for Custom Templates and Custom Instructions 

When creating your custom templates and custom instructions, understanding how to use special characters is key to ensuring your output is both clear and visually engaging. 

These characters are most important when creating the body of template sections, which is where you want to lay out the structure or outline of your document. 

1)  Square Brackets: 

 In the body of each section, use square brackets (e.g. [Insert temperature here]) to define default text or to mark short instructions. This indicates that the text within the brackets is either standard, unaltered text or a placeholder that will later be replaced by specific input. 

2)  Markdown Language: 

• Bold Text: Enclose text in double asterisks (**example**) to display it as bold. 
• Italicized Text: Enclose text in single asterisks (*example*) to render it in italics. 
• Headers: Use hashtags followed by a space to create headers. For instance: 
  • # For Large Header 
  • ## For Medium Header 
  • ### For Small Header 

These formatting rules help structure your content in a way that’s both professional and user-friendly. 

Considerations for Using Special Characters in Instructions: 

As mentioned above, the best place to place special characters and formatting is in the body of each template section. That way the formatting is baked right into the structure of the document that is being created. 

You can however, also reference these special characters in your instructions (either Template Sections Instructions or a Custom Instruction riding on top of an existing template. When writing these instructions, you can reference formatting elements—like hashtags and asterisks—to guide the final output's layout and styling. 

For example, if you want to organize a problem list and highlight each problem, you could include an instruction like: 

"Organize the problem list by labeling each item as **Medical Problem** followed by the problem description (e.g., **Medical Problem**: [Insert problem details here])." 

This instruction tells CoVet's AI to format each problem entry with a bold header, ensuring that the final document has a clear, structured problem list. By leveraging these tools, you can create custom instructions that produce precise, visually structured outputs tailored to your needs. 

Custom Template Example - Emotional Medical Record

Entire Template Instructions 

Use this template to generate an emotional medical record for a patient - this is a document that records observations and reactions that are associated with the patient’s behavior and emotions. 

The report should be clinically detailed yet concise. Be sure to include any and all details mentioned during the consultation that are relevant to the patient's behaviors and emotions. 

A veterinarian might refer to FAS, or an FAS score during the visit, and both are important. FAS stands for Fear, Anxiety and Stress. It is generally noted on a scale out of 0/5 to 5/5 (e.g. "FAS 1/5", "FAS 3/5", "FAS 5/5", etc.). Here are more details on that scale: 

FAS 0/5 - Relaxed. 

FAS 0-1/5 - Perked/Interested. Possibly mildly anxious. 

FAS 0-1/5 - Alert/Excited. Possibly mildly anxious. 

FAS 0-1/5 - Mild signs of anxiety. 

FAS 2/5 - Moderate signs of anxiety. 

FAS 3/5 - Moderate signs of anxiety, but slightly worse than FAS 2. 

FAS 4 - Severe anxiety. Patient is in flight, freeze or "fret" mode. 

FAS 5 - Severe anxiety. Patient is in fight mode and shows either offensive or defensive aggression. 

Section 1 - Body

**FAS Score:** 

[Insert numerical FAS score here] 

**Notes From Today's Visit:** 

[Insert Notes From Today's Visit here] 

**Pre-Visit Pharmaceuticals & Other Interventions:** 

[Insert any information about Pre-Visit Pharmaceuticals here] 

**Likes:** 

[Insert Likes here] 

**Triggers:** 

[Insert Triggers here] 

**Preferred Distraction Techniques:** 

[Insert Preferred Distraction Techniques here] 

**Preferred Location for Exam:** 

[Insert Preferred Location for Exam here] 

**Behavior Management Aids:** 

[Insert Behavior Management Aids here] 

Section 1 - Instructions

In this area you should capture a comprehensive description of the pet's emotional state/reactions and their behavior during the examination. This should encompass a range of emotional responses from calm and sociable to anxious and fearful. Pay attention to how the pet interacts with the veterinary team and their body language. Specifically, note if the pet is friendly, social, relaxed, and readily solicits attention and treats from team members, or if they exhibit any signs of fear, anxiety, or stress. 

Organize this information after the following labels: 

FAS Score: 

- In this area you should document the patient's FAS score, which stands for Fear, Anxiety and 

Stress. It should be noted here on a scale out of 0/5 to 5/5 (e.g. "FAS 1/5", "FAS 3/5", "FAS 5/5", 

etc.). 

- When a veterinarian specifies a numerical FAS score, always list that stated value. 

- When a veterinarian does not state a specific numerical value, infer which value you think would be most appropriate based on what you know about the FAS scoring system from the template instructions. 

- It is valid to note a range of values if a pet varies throughout the exam, or is between states (e.g. "FAS 0-1/5" would be a valid response for a pet who is mildly anxious and between FAS 0 and FAS 1.  

Notes From Today's Visit: 

Summarize how the patient did during today’s consult specifically with regards to their demeanor and their fear, anxiety and/or stress (i.e. you can avoid commenting on the larger medical context of the case unless it directly related to behavior) 

Be specific - describe their demeanor prior to handling (i.e. when the veterinarian is observing them from a distance) and their response to handling and/or other occurrences - patient behavior can change dramatically based on the context of the situation. Also note here if the veterinarian has assessed that this patient has any specific limitations with regards to handling and receiving medical care. 

Pre-Visit Pharmaceuticals & Other Interventions: 

Record information about any pre-visit pharmaceuticals (also referred to as PVP's) or sedatives administered prior to the appointment. Note the timing of administration and any assessment of the effectiveness of these medications in alleviating the pet's fear, anxiety, and stress. Document whether these interventions were effective, partially effective, or ineffective in calming the pet. 

In addition, also note any information about other calming interventions. Examples include, but are not limited to: motion sickness medication, in-hospital/injectable sedation, pain medications, pheromones (Adaptil and/or Feliway), compression garments (e.g. Thundershirt), calming music, etc. 

Likes: 

- List briefly in point form things the pet likes here (i.e. things that reduce their fear, anxiety and/or stress) 

- Examples include, but are not limited to, certain types of handling, being with certain people, certain toys or treats, etc. 

Triggers: 

- List briefly in point form things that trigger (i.e. worsen) the pet's fear, anxiety and/or stress here. These are specifically items that trigger the patient's behavior (i.e. avoid listing things here that trigger another medical condition but not the patient's behavior). 

- Examples include, but are not limited to, certain types of handling, being with certain people, loud noises, sudden movements, particular instruments or pieces of equipment, etc. Place comments here that are specific to today's exam.  

Preferred Distraction Techniques: 

- Briefly list, in bullet points, the methods that effectively distract the patient during their examination. 

- For many patients, food or treats are effective distractions. Indicate if the pet consumes treats during the exam, as a pet that eats readily during examination may signify comfort and ease. It's important to distinguish between treats given in the exam room and the pet's regular food habits at home as described by the client. If the pet shows a preference for a specific type of treat during the examination, note that preference. 

- For other pets, alternative distraction techniques may be more effective than food. Examples include specific toys, games, training commands, scratching, petting, grooming, brushing, etc. 

Preferred Location for Exam: 

- Note where and in what location the patient does best for examination. This generally will be a location in the exam room (e.g. on the table, on the floor, in the client's arms)  

Behavior Management Aids: 

- Document any behavior management aids or tools that were used to help with gentle handling of the patient. Examples include, but are not limited to towels, blankets, muzzles (specify fabric muzzle or basket muzzle where possible), cat masks, calming caps, etc. 

Custom Instruction Examples

Subjective Paragraph

For the Subjective Section of this record: 

- Write the entire content of this section in paragraph format, despite any other instructions to the contrary. Use the same information from the headings/labels in the body of this template section, but write it all in sentence form with no labels. Do not use point form or bullet points for this part, despite any other instructions to the contrary. 

- Your task here is to summarize the patient's history, as presented from the client's perspective. Never include comments from the veterinarian about physical exam findings, other observations or the treatment plan here. They belong in other sections lower down in this report. 

- This note is being written from the veterinarian's perspective for their medical files so do not include references like "the veterinarian" here. 

Heartfelt Note to Start and End the Client Summary

Format the contents of the Summary section at the start of this record as a heartfelt note written from the perspective of the veterinarian directly to the client. When the pet is generally well with only minor health issues it's ok to write this email with a fun and friendly tone to help build rapport with the client. If the content of the email discussed severe health concerns that may upset the client, it's better to stick to a more professional tone in those cases. 

Start by greeting the client by their first name, and open with a warm statement about how nice it was to speak to the client, how much you appreciate them coming to the clinic, etc. When at all possible, you should reference specific parts of the discussion that occurred in this opening statement. For example, if it was a very snowy day it might be nice to say something like "I really appreciate you making the trip into the clinic with [patient name] on such a snowy day!"  End this passage with a warm and friendly closing statement, and an expression of support. I want you to make sure that the client feels their concerns expressed during the consultation have been heard, and that you and the rest of the team at the clinic are there for them if things are not progressing as expected. Finish with a signature from the veterinarian - use both the [User Name] and [Practice Name] when that information is available. If the [Practice Name] is not available do not leave the placeholder in your final record, simply leave that line blank.