Notes map to the FHIR R4 DocumentReference resource — narrative clinical documentation such as progress notes, discharge summaries, consultation notes, and operative notes. A note is a single content block associated with a patient, an author, and optionally an encounter. For multi-section structured documents (care plans, referral letters), use Documents instead.
Create a note
const { data: note } = await clinik.notes.create({
patientId: 'pt_abc123',
authorId: 'prac_def456',
encounterId: 'enc_xyz789',
type: 'progress-note',
title: 'Follow-up Visit - Hypertension Management',
content: `## Subjective
Patient reports compliance with lisinopril 10mg daily. No dizziness, cough, or swelling.
Home BP readings averaging 128/82.
## Objective
BP: 130/84 mmHg, HR: 72 bpm, Weight: 165 lbs
No peripheral edema. Heart sounds regular, no murmurs.
## Assessment
Essential hypertension — improving but not at goal (<130/80).
## Plan
- Increase lisinopril to 20mg daily
- Continue low-sodium diet
- Recheck BP in 4 weeks
- Order BMP to monitor renal function`,
contentType: 'text/markdown',
docStatus: 'final',
category: 'cardiology',
date: '2025-01-15',
});
Note types
| Type | Description |
|---|
progress-note | Standard visit documentation |
discharge-summary | Hospital discharge summary |
consultation-note | Specialist consultation |
history-and-physical | H&P documentation |
operative-note | Surgical procedure note |
procedure-note | Non-surgical procedure note |
referral-note | Referral documentation |
transfer-summary | Patient transfer summary |
other | Other note types |
Document status
| Status | Description |
|---|
preliminary | Draft — still being written |
final | Completed and signed |
amended | Modified after finalization |
Read a note
const { data: note } = await clinik.notes.read('note_abc123');
Update a note
To amend a finalized note, set docStatus: 'amended' and provide the updated content:
await clinik.notes.update('note_abc123', {
docStatus: 'amended',
content: '... updated content with addendum ...',
});
FHIR best practice is to amend rather than overwrite finalized notes. Setting docStatus: 'amended' signals to downstream systems that this is a revision of a previously finalized document.
Delete a note
await clinik.notes.delete('note_abc123');
Search notes
// All progress notes for a patient
const { data } = await clinik.notes.search({
patientId: 'pt_abc123',
type: 'progress-note',
sort: '-date',
});
// Notes written by a specific author
const { data: byAuthor } = await clinik.notes.search({
authorId: 'prac_def456',
dateFrom: '2025-01-01',
dateTo: '2025-03-31',
});
// All notes from a specific encounter
const { data: fromEncounter } = await clinik.notes.search({
encounterId: 'enc_xyz789',
});
Notes vs documents
| Resource | FHIR type | Structure | Use case |
|---|
| Note | DocumentReference | Single content block | Progress notes, SOAP notes |
| Document | Composition | Multiple titled sections | Discharge summaries, care plans |