Prompt Engineering Best Practices
The Big Three Insights
These are the core principles derived from real-world clinical use that lead to successful and effective prompts.
1. Few-Shot Examples Are Critical
- This is the most important element for prompt success.
- Show, don’t tell. Providing 3-5 examples of your desired output guides the AI much more effectively than complex instructions.
2. Brevity Improves Quality
- Shorter bullets and concise phrases are faster to scan and easier for a physician to approve.
- This results in less editing and a note that feels more human-written.
3. Separate Prompts for Separate Functions
- Have each prompt do one thing well (e.g., one for A/P, one for billing).
- Prompts can be used independently or chained together.
- This modular approach makes it much easier to refine, test, and iterate on each function.