How to Create AutoText in Cerner PowerChart

Navigate to a documentation section

Go to the section of your workflow where you need to enter new data, such as Subjective/History of Present Illness, Objective/Physical Exam, or Review of Systems. Each section in the Cerner interface includes a text entry area and a formatting toolbar.

Trigger the AutoText menu

Begin your entry with a punctuation mark, typically a period (.). After you type the period, a dropdown menu appears listing both built-in and personal AutoText templates, such as .8hourimaging, .72hourlabs, and .PEE.

AutoText entries are case sensitive, so make sure you use the correct capitalization when typing your abbreviation.

Select and insert the template

Select the desired AutoText template from the dropdown using your mouse or keyboard. For example, typing .PEE (case sensitive) filters the list to show matching templates, such as .mlsRO2, .mlsRQ3, or .mlssuperPE.

Once you select a template, it automatically populates the text entry area with the predefined content. For example, selecting an AutoText for the physical exam inserts a detailed template covering General, Eye, HENT, Neck, Lungs, Heart, Abdomen, Musculoskeletal, Skin, Neurologic, and Psychiatric findings.

Copy the content you want to save

Highlight the default or existing text in the entry area that you want to save as AutoText. Right-click and select Copy to copy the content, then click the Manage Auto Text icon (a document with a red "A") in the formatting toolbar above the text entry area.

Start a new AutoText entry

In the Manage Auto Text window, click the plus sign (+) to create a new AutoText entry. The window displays fields for Abbreviation, Description, and a main content area for your AutoText phrase, with your existing AutoText entries listed on the left along with their abbreviations and descriptions.

Paste your content

Right-click in the blank content area and select Paste to insert the text you copied earlier. The pasted content appears in the main text area, ready for editing.

Set the abbreviation

In the Abbreviation field, enter your desired shortcut. Start with a punctuation mark such as a period (.), comma (,), or backslash (\), followed by your lowercase initials as a prefix (for example, .mls), and a descriptive suffix such as PE for Physical Exam — resulting in an abbreviation like .mlsPE.

Add a description

In the Description field, enter a brief explanation of the AutoText's purpose. For example, type Complete PE to indicate a complete physical exam template.

Customize the template content

You can use brackets [ ] to define editable fields within your template. Each bracketed section is treated as a separate field. For example:

General: [Alert and oriented, well nourished, no acute distress].
Eye: [PERRL, EOMI, normal conjunctiva].
HENT: [Normocephalic, clear tympanic membranes, normal hearing, moist oral mucosa, no scleral icterus, no sinus tenderness].
Neck: [Supple, non-tender, no carotid bruits, no JVD, no lymphadenopathy].
Lungs: [Clear to auscultation and percussion, non-labored respiration].
Heart: [Normal rate, regular rhythm, no murmur, gallop or edema].
Abdomen: [Soft, non-tender, non-distended, normal bowel sounds, no masses].
Musculoskeletal: [Normal range of motion and strength, no tenderness or swelling].
Skin: [Skin is warm, dry and pink, no rashes or lesions].
Neurologic: [Awake, alert, and oriented X3, CN II-XII intact].
Psychiatric: [Cooperative, appropriate mood and affect].

If you use voice dictation tools such as Dragon, each bracketed field can be navigated with the "next field" command or arrow keys on your microphone. Saying "next field" highlights the entire bracketed section, letting you overwrite the default text if needed.

For each field, enter the default value you most commonly dictate. For example, for the Heart section, use [Normal rate, regular rhythm, no murmur, gallop or edema] as the default. If a patient has a different finding, use the "next field" command to highlight and replace the default text — for instance, with "tachycardic and had a two over six systolic ejection murmur."

Review your entry

Before saving, review your abbreviation, description, and content for accuracy. Confirm that all fields are bracketed as needed and that defaults are set appropriately.

Save your AutoText

Click Save in the Manage Auto Text window to store your template. Your abbreviation (for example, .mlsPE3) and description ("Complete PE") now appear in your list of AutoText entries, and the content area displays the full template, including all bracketed fields and default values.

Confirm the new entry

In the Manage Auto Text window, confirm that .mlsPE3 appears under My Phrases with the correct description and content. You can then close the Manage Auto Text window.

Open the documentation area

Navigate to the documentation area where you want to use your AutoText, such as the Objective/Physical Exam section, and clear any existing content in the text area if needed.

Insert the template

Type your AutoText abbreviation — for example, .mlsPE3 — into the documentation field and press Enter. The full AutoText template automatically populates the field, including all bracketed fields and default values.

Edit the inserted template

Use voice commands (such as "next field") or keyboard navigation to move between bracketed fields, and overwrite the default values with patient-specific findings as needed.

Save your documentation

Click Save in the documentation area to store your completed note.