Use this article to learn how your clinic team can work in the same medical record (SOAP) at the same time, and what Multi-User Record Improvement will add. It's for vets, techs, and anyone else who writes in SOAPs.
More than one person often needs the same SOAP at once. During a surgery, the tech records vitals while the vet writes the surgical notes. At a shift handoff, the next vet picks up the plan while the first is still finishing their notes.
Important: Today, your team can have the same SOAP open and add to it at the same time, as long as each person works in a different field. If two people edit the same field, only the most recent change is kept, and the earlier one isn't recovered. Until Multi-User Record Improvement is available, agree up front who's working in which part of the SOAP.
What is Coming Next:
1. What is Multi-User Record Improvement?
Multi-User Record Improvement is an upcoming update to the SOAP. It will help stop one team member's changes from overwriting another's when two people edit the same field, and it will show you who's working where.
2. How this helps your daily work
Working in the same SOAP helps each role on the clinic team:
Role | How it helps |
Vets & nurses | Write the assessment and plan while a colleague records vitals in the same visit. |
Techs / Assistants | Add vitals during a surgery without waiting for the vet to close the SOAP. |
Practice managers | Several team members can document the same visit at once, so the SOAP doesn't wait on one person. |
3. Where to find it
You can work in the same SOAP with your team wherever you open it. There's nothing new to set up:
The SOAP page
The Flowboard record panel
The side panel on the dashboard, Whiteboard, and Health Card
4. How to work in the same SOAP today
To work in the same SOAP as other team members today:
Open the SOAP. Other team members can have it open at the same time.
Agree who's working in which field; for example, the tech on vitals and the vet on assessment and plan.
Work in your own fields. Your changes save automatically.
When each person sticks to their own fields, everyone's changes are kept.
5. What Multi-User Record Improvement will add
Here's what Multi-User Record Improvement will add to the SOAP. We'll add screenshots and steps when it's available. Details may change before release.
See who's editing a field
When a team member is editing a field, you'll see their name on it. The field is read-only for everyone else until they move on, so you know who to ask.
Choose which version to keep
If you and another team member change the same field at almost the same moment, you'll see the saved version and choose which one to keep. Everything else you changed saves as usual.
Vitals entries and Treatment Plans, one at a time
Multi-User Record Improvement will lock a single vitals entry or Treatment Plan, not the whole section. Two people can add separate vitals entries or work on different Treatment Plans side by side, and only wait if they open the same one.
6. Tips & best practices
Split the SOAP by role. On busy cases like surgeries, agree who works in which part of the SOAP before you start. Splitting by role keeps everyone's changes today and will still save time after the update.
Finish your field before a handoff. At a shift change, finish your entry before the next vet starts writing in the same field.
Check before accepting AI suggestions. Accepting a suggestion from Tails AI Assistant or QuickSOAP can replace the text in a field. If another team member is working in the same field, check with them first.
7. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can two people edit the same SOAP at the same time?
Yes, two or more team members can edit the same SOAP at the same time, as long as each person works in a different field. If two people edit the same field, only the most recent change is kept.
When will Multi-User Record Improvement be available?
We don't have a release date for Multi-User Record Improvement yet. We'll update this article when it's ready.
Does Multi-User Record Improvement cover the whole patient record?
Multi-User Record Improvement covers the SOAP only. Appointments, the calendar, and tasks aren't included.