Capturing a physical exam with Abridge lets you automatically integrate physical exam findings into your clinical note by verbalizing your exam during the patient visit. Abridge will only generate physical exam findings for systems you explicitly verbalize — including pertinent negatives and positives.
How it works
During your encounter, verbalize your findings for each body system as you examine the patient. Abridge captures what you say and populates the Physical Exam section of your note with the corresponding findings. Any system you do not verbalize will not appear in the Physical Exam section.
Clinicians across all healthcare specialties can use this feature. For guidance on how to verbalize findings for the best results, see Physical Exam Best Practices.
Supported systems
Abridge captures findings for the following body systems:
- Vitals
- Head, eyes, ears, nose, and throat (HEENT)
- Neck
- Chest
- Cardiovascular
- Musculoskeletal
- Breast
- Abdomen
- Genitourinary
- Rectal
- Extremities
- Neurological
- Skin
Customizing your physical exam
You can adjust how Abridge generates and displays physical exam findings using the following settings and tools:
- Physical Exam Settings — Choose a style (Conservative, Limited, or Expanded) to control how much detail Abridge generates for your PE section.
- Physical Exam Templates — Select from standard templates (General, Pediatric Newborn, Neurology) or apply a custom template.
FAQs
Will Abridge fill in systems I didn't verbalize?
No. Only systems you explicitly verbalize during the recording will appear in the Physical Exam section. If a system is not mentioned, it will not be included.
How do I capture pertinent negatives?
Verbalize them during the exam, for example: "Lungs are clear to auscultation bilaterally, no wheezing." Abridge will capture and include explicit negatives. See Physical exam best practices for detailed guidance.
Is this feature available on all surfaces?
Physical exam capture is available in the Abridge for Clinicians mobile app and the web editor (notes.abridge.com). It is also available in Abridge Inside (Hyperspace). Check with your organization if you are unsure whether a specific surface has been enabled.