How to Get Better Notes from Your AI Scribe in 2025
Learn how to get better documentation from your AI medical scribe in 2025 through better prompting, context, and template use. Practical guide for clinicians using AI scribes to streamline charting and improve note quality.
Jacob Kantrowitz MD, PhD
on
Oct 30, 2025
The Rise of the AI Medical Scribe
AI scribes have quickly become one of the most adopted forms of artificial intelligence in healthcare. By 2025, tens of thousands of clinicians are using AI-powered tools to summarize visits, generate SOAP notes, and automate coding.
But here’s the catch: not all AI scribes perform equally.
The difference between an average note and an excellent one often comes down to one overlooked factor—how you prompt the AI.
If you’ve ever thought, “This note doesn’t sound like me,” or “It left out key details,” this article is for you.
What AI Scribes Actually Do
Large language models (LLMs)—the technology behind AI scribes—don’t “understand” medicine the way you do.
They predict what comes next based on patterns in the text you give them.
Think of your AI scribe as an exceptionally fast, attentive medical student:
it listens, recognizes structure, and organizes your words into a coherent record.
But it only knows what you tell it—and how you tell it.
That means your words are the input, the instruction, and the guide.
The Anatomy of a Prompt
Every AI scribe interaction, whether typed or spoken, is a prompt.
And every prompt has parts—some you may already use instinctively.
Prompt Element | What It Does | Example |
Role | Tell the AI who it should be. | “You’re my clinical scribe.” |
Context | Provide the background or patient details. | “Follow-up for diabetes and hypertension.” |
Task | Describe what you want done. | “Summarize today’s visit as a concise SOAP note.” |
Format | Define how you want it structured. | “Organize findings by problem.” |
Constraints | Add limits or style guidance. | “Keep under 200 words, avoid redundancy.” |
When you understand this anatomy, you stop “using AI” and start collaborating with it.
Your Voice Is the Prompt
Here’s the big mindset shift for 2025:
When you speak to your AI scribe, your audio is the prompt.
Every instruction, aside, or clarification shapes the note.
If you say:
“She’s feeling better—note that under her asthma problem,”
the model knows how to categorize that thought.
But if you just say:
“She’s feeling better,”
it may not know which problem to link it to.
Treat your AI scribe as if it were a thoughtful human scribe—
because to the model, your voice is the instruction.
Templates as Reusable Prompts
Templates aren’t old-fashioned—they’re efficient.
They’re essentially reusable prompts that capture your clinical style and expectations.
In AI documentation systems like Stream, templates guide the model the same way a written instruction set would.
They standardize tone, structure, and focus—while still allowing flexibility when you speak freely during a visit.
Think of each template as a teaching script for your AI:
“For diabetes follow-up, always include A1C trends, medication changes, and home glucose patterns.”
Once saved, that instruction is automatically applied every time you use it.
The Power of Context
AI scribes don’t truly “remember” prior visits unless you give them that context—or the system maintains it for you.
This is why continuity-aware tools perform better: they start each encounter already knowing what matters.
Stream, for instance, is designed with Memory and Context Maintenance built in.
It keeps track of each medical problem across visits, so your AI isn’t starting from zero every time.
That means your notes stay consistent, accurate, and clinically coherent over time—without extra effort.
Best Practices: How to Get the Most Out of Your AI Scribe
1. Speak with structure.
Use clear transitions like “Next problem,” “In the plan,” or “Under hypertension.”
2. Give meta-instructions aloud.
Say things like, “Let’s summarize this under diabetes,” or “Include this in the plan only.”
3. Use templates for consistency.
They act as written prompts that standardize output across visits and conditions.
4. Review and refine.
A quick glance at how your instructions affect the note helps the model learn your preferred style.
5. Keep it human.
AI should save time, not replace thinking. Use it to enhance—not outsource—clinical reasoning.
Why Prompting Matters More Than Speed
You don’t need to speak faster or longer to get better notes.
You need to speak intentionally.
Prompting is the new clinical skill—one that every clinician can master with a few simple habits.
As you refine your prompting, your AI scribe becomes a more precise, context-aware partner—helping you focus on patient care rather than data entry.
Try It Yourself
Experience how prompting, context, and reusable templates work together in practice.
Stream turns your spoken conversation into structured, problem-oriented notes—and remembers what matters for next time.
👉 Start your 30-day free trial of Stream
The medical AI scribe with Memory and Context built in.
