Forms Builder: How to Create or Customise a Form

Overview

Forms Builder allows you to create new electronic forms or customise your existing forms.

You can use Forms Builder to create forms for:

Medical and dental history
Patient and emergency contact details
Referral and health fund information
Surveys and feedback
Refund or medical record requests
Other practice processes

Forms Builder has four tabs:

Basic Fields
Common Fields
Patient Fields
Form Settings

The first three tabs allow you to add questions and information to your form. Form Settings allows you to manage the main details of the form.

Before you start

Before creating or customising a form, decide:

Whether you are creating a new form or changing an existing one
What information you need to collect
Whether the answers should update the patient profile
Whether the patient needs to sign the form

When changing an existing form, take screenshots or make a note of the current fields and settings before making changes.

Open Forms Builder

Click the Cog icon, then choose Forms
Select Form from the Type field.
Open an existing form or create a new form.
Select the appropriate form type.
Add and configure the required fields.
Preview and test the form.
Publish the form after confirming that it works as expected.

Note: If you cannot see Forms Builder, please contact Support so we can check whether Forms is enabled for your practice.

Choose a form type

Forms Builder has two form types:

Patient Form
Form or General Form

Patient Form

Use a Patient Form when:

The patient needs to sign the form.
The form is used for medical history.
The answers need to update the patient profile after the form is approved.

A Patient Form can use:

Basic Fields
Common Fields
Patient Fields

General Form

Use a General Form when:

You only need to collect information in the completed form.
The answers do not need to update the patient profile.
The patient does not need to sign the form.

A General Form can use:

Basic Fields
Common Fields

Patient Fields are not available in a General Form.

Understand the Forms Builder tabs

Basic Fields

Use Basic Fields to create your own questions, add information and organise the form.

Basic Fields are not connected to the patient profile. Answers entered into these fields remain in the completed form.

Layout

Use these options to organise the form:

Divider – adds a line between sections.
Section Heading – adds a heading for a section.

Basic form elements

Use these options to add questions:

Short Text – allows the patient to enter a short answer, such as a reference number.
Long Text – allows the patient to enter a longer written answer.
Date – allows the patient to enter a date.
Single Choice – allows the patient to select one answer.
Multiple Choice List – allows the patient to select more than one answer.

Content

Use these options to add information to the form:

Letter Head – adds your practice letterhead.
Rich Text – adds formatted text, such as instructions or other important information.

Common Fields

Use Common Fields to add ready-made questions that are commonly used in forms.

Examples include:

When the patient last visited a dentist
How often the patient brushes their teeth
How often the patient flosses their teeth
Whether the patient is pregnant
What medications the patient is currently taking
Whether the patient smokes

Common Fields may also include groups such as:

General Practitioner Details
Medicare Card Details

To add a Common Field:

Select the + beside a question to add it individually.
Select Add all fields to add all fields in a group.

Selecting Add all fields will not add another copy of a field that is already included in the form.

Common Fields do not update the patient profile. The answers remain in the completed form.

Patient Fields

Use Patient Fields when the answers need to update the patient profile after the completed form is approved.

Patient Fields are grouped into sections, including:

Personal Details
Address (Home)
Emergency Contact
Address (Work)
Referral Contact
Dental History
Medical History
Health Fund

Examples of Patient Fields include:

First name
Last name
Preferred name
Date of birth
Email
Phone number
Mobile number
Home address
Emergency contact details
Occupation
Medical conditions
Allergies
Health fund details

To add a Patient Field:

Select the + beside a field to add it individually.
Select Add all fields to add all fields in a section.

Patient Fields are only available in a Patient Form.

[Temporary Link: How to Show Follow-up Questions Using Hide Conditions in Forms Builder]

Form Settings

Use Form Settings to enter the main details of the form.

Complete the following fields:

Name* – Enter a clear name that helps you identify the form.
Title – Enter the title that will be shown on the form.
Group* – Select the correct form group.
Description – Enter a short description of the form.
Welcome template – Select a welcome template, if required.
Consent* – Enter the consent statement shown to the patient.

Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.

Select Save Changes after entering or updating the Form Settings.

Create or customise a form

Step 1: Open the form

From Forms Template, open an existing form or create a new form.

When changing an existing form, take screenshots or make a note of its current setup before continuing.

Step 2: Choose the form type

Choose a Patient Form or General Form based on:

Whether the patient needs to sign the form
Whether Patient Fields are required
Whether the answers should update the patient profile

Step 3: Complete the Form Settings

Open Form Settings and enter the main details of the form.

Make sure the required fields are completed:

Name
Group
Consent

Complete the other fields where needed, then select Save Changes.

Step 4: Add fields to the form

Choose the tab that contains the type of field you need:

Use Basic Fields to create questions, headings and written content.
Use Common Fields to add ready-made questions.
Use Patient Fields when answers need to update the patient profile after approval.

Select the + beside a field to add it.

Where available, select Add all fields to add all fields in a group.

Step 5: Edit each field

After adding a field, update its settings as needed by clicking the pencil icon in each field.

Available settings may include:

Label – the question or field name shown to the patient
Description – additional instructions or information
Placeholder text – example text displayed inside the field
Required – controls whether the patient must complete the field
Minimum length – the minimum number of characters required
Maximum length – the maximum number of characters allowed
Hide condition – controls when the field is displayed
- [Temporary Link: How to Show Follow-up Questions Using Hide Conditions in Forms Builder]

When editing a Patient Field:

Do not change the field key.
Do not increase the maximum length above the current limit.
Leave the maximum length unchanged unless you need to set a shorter limit.

Step 6: Arrange and review the form

Place the fields in a clear and logical order.

Check that:

The correct questions have been added.
The fields appear in the correct order.
Section headings are used where needed.
Labels and instructions are easy to understand.
Required fields are set correctly.
Optional fields can be left blank.
The Form Settings are complete.

Step 7: Test the form

Where possible, test the form using a test patient record.

Check that:

Required fields cannot be skipped.
Optional fields can be left blank.
Text and date fields work correctly.
Single Choice fields allow one answer.
Multiple Choice List fields allow more than one answer.
Address fields work correctly for your practice’s region.
Hide conditions work as expected.
The patient is asked to sign the form when required.
The form can be submitted.
The form can be approved.
Patient Fields update the correct information in the patient profile after approval.
Basic Fields and Common Fields do not update the patient profile.

Step 8: Publish the form

Publish the form after you have reviewed and tested it.

Form versions

When you update and publish an existing form, Core Practice created a new version of the form. Previous form versions and version history are not currently shown in Forms Builder.

Editing a form does not remove forms that patients have already completed. Once a form has been completed, submitted, and approved:

The completed form can still be viewed in the patient profile under Activities > Forms
A record of the form will remain visible under History

If you have any questions, please click the yellow Help button at the bottom left and chat with us. We are more than happy to help!

Overview

Before you start

Open Forms Builder