How chiropractors dictate treatment plans after exams

Steps, tool options and common mistakes for chiropractors who dictate treatment plans right after exams, in plain language.

By XP Daily · 2026-10-31

XP Daily is published by the makers of DaysAid, QuickDictate and YTSort, which are compared here alongside other tools.

Write the key findings while the exam is fresh, put the plan's parts in the order your record uses, and say them aloud in that order. Check any dictation tool's price, platform and privacy terms before you choose one.

Option	What it does	Price
Paper template or typed notes	You write the plan by hand or fill in a typed template.	Not published here
A dictation tool you already use	Check its own page for what it does.	Not published here; check its own page
QuickDictate	Types what you say into whichever window you are using, such as a web form. ^[1]	Free for personal and other noncommercial use, with no subscription or account. ^[1]

What you need before you start

Dictating a treatment plan goes well when a few things are ready before the exam ends.

Your exam findings, written down. Short notes on what you found are enough, and they keep the plan's facts clear while the exam is fresh.
The plan's parts in mind. Decide which parts your records ask for, such as the findings, goals, care, schedule and review date.
The record open. Have the patient file or template open where the plan will be saved, so you are not searching for it mid-dictation.
A quiet room and a microphone you trust. Background noise is a common cause of wrong words, so pick a quiet spot.
A check on your rules. Know what your licensing body and your practice require for a treatment plan, and whether patient details may go to an outside service.

Set aside a few minutes after the exam, before the next patient, so the plan is said while the details are still clear.

Step by step

These steps work with any dictation method, including a plain recorder that you transcribe yourself.

Write the findings first. Jot the key findings in a few words each while the exam is fresh.
Order the plan's parts. Put the parts in the order your record uses, so you say them in that sequence.
Open the record. Have the place for the plan ready on screen before you start speaking.
Say the findings. Keep each finding to one clear sentence.
Say the goals and the care. Name what you will do and why, in plain words.
Say the schedule and the review date. Give the next visit and the date the plan will be reviewed.
Pause between parts. A short pause makes it easier to see where one part ends and the next begins when you read it back.
Read it back. Listen to the text as it lands, and correct any word that was misheard.
Replace anything wrong. If part of the plan came out badly, remove that part and say it again.
Save and check the record. Confirm the plan sits in the right patient file before the next patient.

Do the first few plans this way before changing anything. A routine you repeat is easier to trust than one you adjust after every exam.

Tools that can do it

You can dictate without special software by speaking into any recorder and typing up the result, or by using a dictation feature you already have. The table sets out the options side by side.

Paper template or typed notes. You fill in the plan by hand or in a typed template and read it back before saving. Nothing is published here about price, so check what your practice already has.

A dictation tool you already use. Check its own page for what it does, what it costs and which computers it runs on before you rely on it for patient notes.

QuickDictate. QuickDictate is made by the team that publishes this site. QuickDictate is a Windows program that types what you say into whichever window you are using. ^[1] You hold a key while you talk, or press it once to start and once to stop, and you can change both keys. ^[1] You can list words and phrases that are sent to the provider to help it recognise them, and a replacement table fixes spellings such as 'Chat GPT' to 'ChatGPT'. ^[1] Saying 'scratch that' discards the text you just dictated instead of inserting it. ^[1]

For dictation without an internet connection, choose Local in Settings and install a speech model such as Whisper Large v3 Turbo, and dictation then needs no internet connection or API key. ^[1] You can also use ElevenLabs, Deepgram, OpenAI, AssemblyAI, DashScope or Google, and that provider bills you directly. ^[1] QuickDictate is free for personal and other noncommercial use, with no subscription or account. ^[1] Cloud providers bill you separately for their service. ^[1] Commercial use needs a separate licence, and a paid practice may count as commercial use, so check the licence terms before you use it in one. ^[1] It runs only on 64-bit Windows 10 and 11, with no Mac or Linux version. ^[1]

Common mistakes to avoid

Dictating before the findings are written. Notes made straight after the exam are easier to say clearly than a memory of them, so write them first.

Speaking into the wrong window. Text goes into whichever window you are using, so check that the record is the one in front before you speak. ^[1]

Leaving misheard words in. Read the plan back before you save it, and fix anything that does not match the exam.

Keeping a wrong sentence. If a sentence came out wrong, say 'scratch that' to discard the text you just dictated, then say it again. ^[1]

Sending patient details to an outside service without checking. Check your practice's rules on sending patient details to any outside company before you choose a mode. If you need dictation with no internet connection, the local option needs no internet connection or API key once a speech model is installed. ^[1]

Assuming a personal licence covers a practice. Free personal use does not settle a paid practice's position, so check the licence before you use the tool at work. ^[1]

Skipping the review. Look at a few finished plans after the first few weeks to see whether the routine still works for you.

Frequently asked questions

How do chiropractors dictate treatment plans after exams?

Write the key findings down while the exam is fresh, then put the plan's parts in the order your record uses. Say each part aloud in that order, read the text back and correct any misheard words. Save it to the right patient file before the next patient. These steps work with any dictation method, so the same routine applies whichever tool you choose.

Can QuickDictate be used for chiropractic notes for free?

QuickDictate is free for personal and other noncommercial use, with no subscription or account. ^[1] Commercial use needs a separate licence, and a paid practice may count as commercial use, so check the licence terms before you use it for patient notes. ^[1] Cloud providers bill you separately for their service. ^[1]

Does QuickDictate work offline for dictating treatment plans?

It can. Choose Local in Settings and install a speech model such as Whisper Large v3 Turbo, and dictation then needs no internet connection or API key. ^[1] Test it once with a sample plan before relying on it for patient records, so you know how it handles the terms your notes use. Check which mode you plan to use before a busy clinic day.

Does QuickDictate send patient details to outside companies?

That depends on the mode you choose. With a cloud provider, you use that provider's service, and the provider bills you directly. ^[1] With the local option, dictation needs no internet connection or API key. ^[1] Check your practice's rules on sending patient details to any outside company before you pick a mode.

Which computers can run QuickDictate in a clinic?

QuickDictate runs only on 64-bit Windows 10 and 11, with no Mac or Linux version. ^[1] It is delivered as an .exe file on GitHub, with a built-in updater that works silently. ^[1] Check that the clinic's computers match these requirements before you plan any switch, and note which machines you will use.

QuickDictate is free for personal and other noncommercial use, with no subscription or account. Cloud providers bill you separately for their service. ^[1]

Try QuickDictate

Sources

QuickDictate's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)