A centralised bank of blocks to use across all Note templates - update once, use anywhere!
What are Universal Blocks?
Universal Blocks are a specific kind of building block that apply across all of your templates.
If you make changes to the Universal Block, it will update that Universal Block wherever it is in use. This means you need to make fewer changes to individual templates.
Universal Blocks can be text fields or different types of buttons. You can create your own or convert an existing 'normal' block. Nurse names, medication options and batch numbers or expiry dates all make for good Universal Blocks.
Universal Blocks mean that:
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You spend less time building or editing templates
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You have a bank of ready-made blocks to pick from
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Your templates and blocks have consistency
For the moment, you will need to create/convert and add Universal Blocks to Note templates downloaded before November 2023. We are working on automating this! See how below.
Future developments in Universal Blocks
In the future, we will suggest existing blocks from your templates that could be converted into Universal Blocks. If you accept the suggestion, all of the relevant blocks across your templates will be converted into Universal Blocks.
Using Universal Blocks
You can access all of your Universal Blocks from 'Tweak Templates' then 'Universal Blocks' in your sidebar.
From here you can search for, create new, amend or delete existing Universal Blocks.
You can only visually identify Universal Blocks when you are creating or editing a template.
⚡️ All Universal Blocks have a lightning symbol next to their name.
You also have the option to add Universal Blocks to your templates from the sidebar in the Template Editor. That means you can create all of your Universal Blocks in one go, and then go through your templates to replace normal blocks with any new Universal Blocks.
In the example below, we're deleting a 'normal' block and adding a Universal Block containing nurse names in its place.
Examples could include:
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The chief complaint or treatment options
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Nurse or assistant names
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Time frames e.g. seconds, minutes, hours
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Medication batch numbers and expiry dates
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Demographic and health options e.g. smoking or employment status
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Yes/No/Other options
Managing Universal Blocks
Universal Blocks can be created from scratch from the Universal Blocks page. You can also convert an existing block into a Universal Block from within a template, in the Template Editor.
Create from the Universal Blocks page under 'Tweak Templates' on the sidebar
Create a new one by clicking the 'Add Universal Block' option at the bottom.
This will open up a panel on the right-hand side. From here you can create your Universal Block. You'll need to give it a name, choose the type of block and add relevant options.
Convert an existing block into a Universal Block
Simply click on the cloud and lightning icon 🌩️ at the end of an existing block to convert it into ⚡️ Universal Block.
You will need to give your Universal Block a name before saving it. You can also make any other edits.
Your block will now appear as a Universal Block, ready to be reused!
Changing Universal Blocks
Universal Blocks can either be changed from the sidebar page or from within the template editor.
From the Universal Block page
From here you can open an existing Universal Block and edit it. You can rename it, change the type of block, delete or add new options or delete your Universal Block entirely.
💡 At the moment you cannot delete the 'My Nurse' Universal Block which we create for you, based on any nurse names in your settings page.
From the Template Editor
You can change a Universal Block type or add new options. You can also revert the Universal Block to a normal block in this specific template only.
If you choose 'Disconnect from Universal Block' then any changes made to this block will only apply to that specific template. The Universal Block will not be affected.
You will need to confirm this before unlinking the Universal Block.
This could be of use if the changes you make are only relevant in the context of that specific template. Alternatively, you could also create two Universal Blocks, each with different options.
Universal Blocks FAQs
Can Universal Blocks be shared?
Since October 2023, Universal Blocks can be shared. If you share a template with someone else, any Universal Blocks it contains will be added to your friend's Universal Blocks library.
Do I need to edit all of my templates to add Universal Blocks?
If you are using templates downloaded prior to November 2023 then at the moment yes.
In October 2023 we updated our stock Note templates to include Universal Blocks. If you're downloading a template that contains a new Universal Block, you'll be asked to populate this just after you download your template.
When adding new Universal Blocks to existing Note templates, we recommend that you start with your most used templates. To do this, go into the Template Editor, following the above steps.
Suggested blocks to convert include:
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Nurse names
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Medication or drug batch numbers or expiry dates
The more templates you do, the easier the process will be as you will start to build your personal bank of Universal Blocks.
Will links carry across templates where I change a Universal Block?
Links are specific to the template they are built in. That means that if you change a normal block into a universal block, you will still need to create the relevant linked lines.
For example, I built a new option into one of my Universal Blocks in Template A.
Template B, which also uses this Universal Block, is immediately updated to now include this new option.
If the purpose of the new Universal Block option is to create new lines, you will need to create the link between this new Universal Block option and the relevant output line in both Template A and Template B.