Choose by what is still left to write
Recording the appointment can reduce the work of recalling and summarizing the discussion. A post-visit recap can reduce the work of expressing the account you have already formed. Those are related benefits, but they are not the same starting point.
If you already end a visit with a concise clinical summary in mind, dictating it may give the app a more direct version of the note you want. The value is the writing it removes after that summary is settled.
What dialogue and a recap can each supply
Consider this fictional exchange:
Patient: "I wake less often now, but mornings are still difficult." Psychiatrist: "How has taking the medication been since we last met?" Patient: "I have not missed any doses. I mostly want to understand the tiredness."
A draft from this exchange can describe the patient's report. A clinician recap after the visit can add the account the psychiatrist wants written:
"Patient reports fewer awakenings and no missed doses, with persistent morning tiredness. My assessment is partial improvement in sleep. No medication changes today. We agreed to focus on the sleep pattern and tiredness at follow-up in three weeks."
An illustrative final passage could read:
"Patient reports fewer awakenings and consistent medication-taking since the previous visit, with persistent morning tiredness. Psychiatrist assessed partial improvement in sleep. No medication changes were made. Review sleep pattern and morning tiredness in three weeks."
The recap supplies the psychiatrist's already-formed assessment and decision as well as the patient report. The example is fictional and illustrates the choice of input, not an actual model output or advice about care.
Ask to see the option that fits your appointments
For a routine follow-up, see a draft from a recap at the length you normally use. For a longer discussion you want help summarizing, see a draft from dialogue. Include the time to edit and place the note in your chart in the comparison.
Astralcyte provides SOAP and other formats, transcript review, and an editable draft. You can change the format for a new draft without overwriting your edits.
Both transcription and drafting happen on your device. The privacy policy explains that the company never receives the visit through the app, and encrypted storage protects the working text.