The Objective section is where you begin documenting concrete details from a patient’s physical exam. From this page, you can:
Add, edit, or delete vitals
Perform and record a physical exam
Compare multiple sets of vitals
Vitals
To log vitals, click + Add Vitals. You can enter the following:
Weight (in lb, kg, or g)
Temperature (in °F or °C) and temperature location
Pulse
Respiratory rate
Mucous membrane color and hydration status
Capillary refill time (CRT)
Attitude
Mentation
Blood pressure (if enabled): Systolic / Diastolic (MAP is calculated automatically)
Notes
Once saved, vitals appear at the top of the Objective section with a timestamp. If more than one set of vitals is entered, you can switch between them using the timestamp dropdown. These vitals can also be compared side-by-side using the Comparison Table described below.
Use the Did Not Obtain option if vitals were not recorded (fully or partially). These will be clearly marked when reviewing SOAPs or exporting medical records.
Blood Pressure
To enable blood pressure fields:
Go to Admin -> Clinic Settings Settings tab
Scroll to the SOAP section
Turn on the toggle for Include Blood Pressure fields on vitals
Once enabled, blood pressure inputs will appear in the vitals form, and the MAP will be calculated based on systolic and diastolic values.
Physical Exams
Shepherd supports a variety of physical exam templates to match your practice’s workflow. Shepherd includes standard exam templates, and you can create your own custom versions as well. Learn more about Physical Exam Templates here.
To add an exam:
Click Add Physical Exam
Choose a template from your list
Assign a supervising doctor
Fill out the exam fields as needed
Once saved, the exam is added to the patient’s medical record and displayed in the Physical Exam section. If multiple exams are recorded during the visit, you can toggle between them using the dropdown in the upper-left corner of the section.
Body Map
To include a body map in your exam:
Click Add Body Map at the bottom of the physical exam template
Select a body map from the dropdown
Mark up the map as needed
Comparison Table
The Comparison Table allows you to quickly view trends in vital signs by comparing multiple sets side by side.
You can track 10 or more sets of vitals (depending on your screen size), making it easier to detect changes over time at a glance.