Table of Contents
What is AI Scribe?
AI Scribe is Pabau's AI-powered clinical documentation tool. It captures a consultation - either recorded live or from an uploaded audio or text file - and turns it into a structured clinical note in your clinic's own format. The goal is to remove the manual write-up so clinicians can stay present with the patient during the consultation rather than focusing on note-taking.
AI Scribe is designed to be used by clinicians during or after a consultation. Once a session is captured and the note is generated, the clinician reviews it and signs it off before it is saved to the client's record.
From a single consultation, AI Scribe can generate a treatment note, a letter, a prescription, ICD-11 diagnostic codes, and auto-populated forms. Each output is reviewed before it is saved to the client's record, and every finalisation is recorded in the audit trail.
NOTE: AI Scribe is a feature that must be enabled and configured before it can be used. For a step-by-step setup guide, read our How to Set Up AI Scribe article. To learn how to run a session, read our How to Use AI Scribe article.
Before clinicians can start using AI Scribe, an admin will need to set it up and grant them access - this includes configuring templates, linking forms, and managing consent settings from Setup > Clinical > AI Scribe.
Depending on how your clinic has configured AI Scribe, recording consent may be required before a session can start. This can be set up as verbal consent, written consent, or both - ensuring clients are aware their consultation is being recorded before any capture begins.
Credits
AI Scribe is metered in credits. Each AI generation uses one credit, regardless of the output type - treatment notes, letters, prescriptions, populated forms, and ICD-11 codes each cost 1 credit.
NOTE: Clinics on the Care Plus plan have AI Scribe usage included with no credits deducted.
Where Outputs Are Stored
Once a session is finalised, each output is automatically saved to the correct place in the client's record:
- Treatment note: Saved to the client's Chart tab as a treatment form.
- Letter: Saved to Communications on the client card, with an awaiting-proofreading status. Also accessible under Clients > Letters in the sidebar.
- Prescription: Saved to the Prescriptions section under the client's Chart tab.
- ICD-11 codes: Saved to Client Problems in the client's Chart tab (approved codes only).
- Populated forms: Linked forms are filled automatically and saved alongside the treatment note.
With AI Scribe set up and enabled for your team, clinicians can capture, generate, and store clinical documentation without the manual write-up that typically follows a consultation.
How to Set Up AI Scribe
NOTE: Access to the AI Scribe Setup area is controlled by permissions. Only team members (admins) with the correct role or permissions assigned can configure it. Clinicians who have been granted AI Scribe access can use the feature, but they will need the appropriate permissions to configure the Setup area.
If you'd like a staff member to be able to access and configure the AI Scribe Setup section - including managing users, prompt templates, AI-ready forms, and settings - you will need to update their permissions. Navigate to Team, click on their name, go to "Permissions," find the Setup section, and make sure it is enabled.
Step 1: Navigate to AI Scribe Setup
Log in to your Pabau account and in the left sidebar menu, click on Setup > Clinical then select "AI Scribe." The hub header shows live counts for employees enabled, forms that are AI-ready, and prompt templates created, along with an "Open AI Scribe" button that takes you directly to the Sessions view.
The left navigation within AI Scribe Setup has four areas: Users, Prompt Templates, AI-ready Forms, and Settings.
Step 2: Enable AI Scribe for Staff Members
The Users section lists all employees along with their location and current status. The header shows a running count of total employees versus those enabled.
To grant a staff member access, toggle the switch next to their name. Enabling a clinician gives them the ability to record with AI Scribe, edit AI charting notes, and fill forms with AI. Once you have made your changes, at the very bottom of the page click "Confirm changes" to apply them, or "Discard changes" to cancel.
NOTE: Granting a clinician access to use AI Scribe is separate from giving them access to configure it. The Setup area exposes consent rules, retention settings, templates, and access controls - make sure only team members with the appropriate role or permissions can reach it.
Step 3: Install a Ready-Made Template
Prompt templates tell AI Scribe how to structure and format the clinical notes it generates. Each template has a type (Note or Letter), a set of sections, and within each section a prompt and an output format.
The Community templates library — a collection of pre-built templates you can browse by clinic type, including Anti-Aging, Acne, Body Contouring, Laser, Dermatology, Mental Health, Dental, Physiotherapy, and more.
Click "Preview" on any template to see a read-only view of its section structure and formatting guidance before committing. Once you're happy with a template, click "Install" to add it to your clinic's template list. Installed templates will show an "Installed" badge.
Step 4: Create or Edit a Template
Installed and custom templates appear under the Templates tab, with Edit and Delete options per row and a "+ New Template" button to start from scratch.
The template editor has a Name field, a Type toggle (Note or Letter), a Structure panel on the left, and a live Preview panel on the right.
In the Structure panel you can:
-
Add sections: Each section has a name, a customisation prompt, and a format - choose from Paragraph, Bullets, List, or Narrative. The chosen format will be reflected in the generated note.
-
Add subsections: Subsections can be added from a categorised library (for example, Assessment and Plan → Clinical Impression, Treatment Goals, Recommended Course) or created as a custom subsection. For a custom subsection, give it a name, an AI instruction (what to capture), and a format.
-
Add a checklist: Optionally add a structured checklist to any section for tick-style capture.
NOTE: If a template section is left without a linked form field, AI Scribe will display a warning - "Unlinked fields won't be populated by AI Scribe" - so you know that content won't map into the form.
Step 5: Preview and Test the Template
The Preview panel on the right has two modes:
-
Sample: Shows placeholder content per section so you can check the structure and formatting at a glance.
-
Try it: Lets you paste in a real transcript (prefix lines with "c:" for clinician and "p:" for patient) and run a preview to see actual AI-structured output. This is the fastest way to validate a template before putting it into use.
Step 6: Generate a Template from a Form
Instead of building a template from scratch, you can generate one from an existing form. Click "+ New Template" and select "Generate from form." Choose a form from the list - the list shows field counts for each form. AI Scribe will inspect the form's fields and draft a matching template structure with sections and subsections. You can review and refine the output before saving.
Step 7: Link Forms to Templates
Forms are linked to templates so that generated section content can automatically populate the right fields, making a form "AI-ready." The Setup hub displays a live count of how many of your forms are currently AI-ready.
The AI-ready Forms section lists all your forms with their name, linked prompt template, status, and whether they are currently AI Ready — shown as a green "Yes" or grey "No" in the AI Ready column. To link a template to a form, use the "Link a prompt template..." dropdown in the Prompt column and select the relevant template. Once linked, an × will appear to remove it if needed.
After linking a template, click "View instructions" on the right side of the form row to open the field mapping panel. On the left you will see all the form's questions, each showing its field type and whether it is currently linked or not. On the right you will see the prompt subsections from the linked template. Click on a subsection on the right to link it to the selected form question on the left - this tells AI Scribe which generated content should populate which field. A counter at the top shows how many fields have been linked out of the total. Any unlinked fields will display a warning that they won't be populated by AI Scribe. Once you have mapped all the relevant fields, click "Save and close."
Step 8: Configure Recording Consent
In the Settings section, the first area covers recording consent. Toggle on "Require patient consent" to block any recording from starting until consent has been captured. Choose how consent is collected:
- Verbal: The provider confirms the patient gave verbal consent before recording.
- Written: The patient signs a digital consent form during check-in.
- Verbal and Written: Both are required before any recording can begin.
Step 9: Configure Language and Transcription
In the Language and Transcription section, set the following:
Spoken language: The language the AI uses to transcribe the recording.
Note language: The language the finished note is written in.
Pause on long silences: When enabled, recording automatically stops after a set silence threshold to avoid unnecessary capture.
Step 10: Configure Data and Privacy
In the Data and Privacy section, configure how recordings and transcripts are handled:
Hide patient name in transcripts: Visually masks the patient name in the transcript view. Note that this does not alter the stored transcript or recording.
Auto-delete recordings after note is signed: Purges the original audio file once the note has been finalised and signed off.
Retention period: Sets the number of days transcripts are kept before they are automatically deleted.
How to Use AI Scribe
NOTE: Before using AI Scribe, make sure you have been granted access by your admin. If you don't see AI Scribe in your sidebar, contact whoever manages your Pabau account to enable it for your profile. For the full setup guide, read our How to Set Up AI Scribe article.
Step 1: Open AI Scribe
Log in to your Pabau account and in the left sidebar menu, navigate to Clients, then select "AI Scribe." This opens the Sessions view, which lists your appointments for the day. You can filter by location or clinician to find the right appointment.
Step 2: Select an Appointment
Click on the appointment you want to start a session for. This opens the session screen for that client, showing their name and appointment details.
Step 3: Capture Consent (If Required)
If your clinic has configured recording consent, you will need to capture it before the session can begin. Depending on your settings, this may be:
- Verbal: Confirm that the patient has verbally agreed to be recorded before proceeding.
- Written: The patient signs a digital consent form during check-in through the Client Portal.
- Verbal and Written: Both are required before any recording can start.
Step 4: Start Recording
Once consent is captured, click the record button to begin capturing the consultation. Make sure your browser has microphone access enabled. Speak clearly and naturally - AI Scribe will transcribe the conversation as it happens.
During recording, you can:
- Pause: Temporarily stop the recording without ending the session, for example during a physical examination or a private moment.
- Resume: Continue recording after a pause.
Alternatively, if the consultation has already taken place, you can upload an audio or text file instead of recording live.
Step 5: Stop and Generate
When the consultation is complete, click "Stop" to end the recording. AI Scribe will begin generating the note in the background - you do not need to stay on the page. You will receive a notification once the note is ready to review.
Step 6: Review the Generated Outputs
Once the note is ready, return to the session to review the generated outputs. Depending on the template and what was configured, you may see some or all of the following:
Treatment note: The primary output — a structured clinical note split into the sections defined in the prompt template. Review each section, make any edits needed, and confirm the content is accurate before finalizing.
Letter: If a letter template was used, a draft letter will appear for you to review and proof before saving.
ICD-11 codes: Diagnostic codes suggested from the transcript, each shown with a rationale. Review each one and either approve or reject it individually. Only approved codes will be saved to the client's record as Client Problems.
Prescription: If medications were mentioned during the consultation, they will appear here for review. Confirm the details before the prescription is issued.
Populated forms: Any forms linked to the AI Scribe template will have been auto-filled with content from the consultation. Review the populated fields and correct anything that needs adjusting.
NOTE: All outputs are drafts until you finalise the session. Nothing is saved to the client's record until you confirm and sign off.
Step 7: Edit Any Section
If any part of the generated note needs changing, click directly into the relevant section to edit it. You can reword, add detail, or remove content before saving. The original transcript remains available for reference throughout the review process.
Step 8: Finalize the Session
Once you are satisfied with all the outputs, click "Finalise" to sign off the session. This saves every approved output to the correct place in the client's record:
- Treatment note → Chart tab
- Letter → Communications tab (awaiting proofreading status)
- Prescription → Chart > Prescriptions
- ICD-11 codes → Chart > Client Problems (approved codes only)
- Populated forms → Saved alongside the treatment note
Every finalisation is recorded in the audit trail with a timestamp and the name of the clinician who signed off.
With AI Scribe set up and running, your clinical team can capture consultations, generate structured notes, and store everything in the right place without the manual write-up that typically follows a session.
Was this guide helpful? Let us know by voting below - your feedback helps us write clearer articles.
For more guides, browse the related articles below or use the search bar at the top of the page. You can also watch our video learning series, the Pabau Academy, or visit the Support page for additional help.