Protocols let you create personalized care plans for your clients, combining food, supplement, and lifestyle recommendations into a single, shareable resource. This article covers everything from building and publishing a client protocol to tracking whether your client has reviewed it.
In this article:
- Building a Client Protocol
- Attaching Files to a Protocol
- Saving a Protocol as a Template
- Publishing a Protocol
- How Clients Receive and Access Protocols
- Updating a Published Protocol
- Duplicating a Protocol
Building a Client Protocol
To create a protocol for a client, go to My Practice > Protocol Templates and click Create for client next to the template you want to use.
If you don’t yet have any, learn more about Working with Protocol Templates →
Alternatively, you can create a protocol from the client record. Go to My Clients > [Client name] > Protocols and click the Fast Action Button in the bottom-right corner. Choose a protocol template to start from, or select Create new to build from scratch.
Once inside the protocol editor, you have access to the full set of recommendation types: food, supplement, lifestyle, recipes and nutrition plans, and saved recommendations. You can also use AI Dictation in any text field.
💡 For a full walkthrough of each recommendation type and how to configure dosing, duration, and instructions, see Working with Protocol Templates →
Attaching Files to a Protocol
Client protocols include two file attachment options not available in templates, since they require a specific client's document library.
You can attach files to a client protocol in two ways: by selecting files already stored in the client's Documents section, or by uploading new files from your device. Both options are available from the Fast Action Button or from the inline Attach client documents and Upload files buttons in the protocol editor.
⚠️ Important: Attaching files to a protocol does not share them with your client automatically. Attached files are included when you publish the protocol. Until then, they remain in draft state and are not visible to the client.
Attaching Files from the Client's Documents Section
Attach client documents lets you select files already stored in the client's Documents section without re-uploading, because the file already exists in Practice Better.
To attach from the client's documents:
- In the protocol editor, click the Fast Action Button and select Attach client documents, or click the Attach client documents button in the editor.
- In the Attach from [Client]'s documents modal, browse the folder structure to locate your file.
Available folders include:- My Uploads: files you've uploaded to this client's record.
- Team Uploads: files uploaded by other team members (Team plans only).
- [Client]'s Shared Uploads: files uploaded by the client from their portal.
- My Shared Uploads: files you've already shared with this client.
- Messages: file attachments sent via the secure messenger.
- Journal Entries: files the client attached to journal entries.
- Completed Task Uploads: files attached to completed tasks and goals.
- Uploaded Forms: forms and waivers submitted by the client.
- Session Attachments: files attached to other session notes.
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Protocol Attachments: files attached to published protocols.
- Select one or more files using the checkboxes, then click Select.
📍 Note: Attaching a file from the client's Documents section creates an independent copy on this protocol. The original file in the Documents section remains unchanged.
Uploading Files from Your Device
Upload files lets you attach a new file directly from your device. Protocol file attachments support common formats including images (JPG, PNG), PDFs, and Word documents, and must be 120 MB or less. When you publish the protocol, all attached files are included automatically.
To upload a file:
- In the protocol editor, click the Fast Action Button and select Upload files, or click the Upload files button in the editor.
- Select the file from your device (must be 120 MB or less).
📍 Note: Attached files count toward your Practice Better account storage limit.
Saving a Protocol as a Template
When you're working on a client protocol and want to reuse it with other clients, you can save it as a template without publishing it first.
Click Save > Save as template to add it to your library under Practice > Protocol Templates.
💡 Learn more about Working with Protocol Templates →
Publishing a Protocol
To publish a new Protocol for a client, you must first open it in the editor. Either from your list of Protocol Templates > Create for client, or from within the Protocol Template editor, you can click Save > Save as new protocol to immediately use this template as a new Protocol for a client.
The editor looks the same, however, you’ll see your client’s avatar near the top left, which tells you this Protocol is scoped to that client.
When your protocol is complete, click Save > Save and Publish to share it with your client. Practice Better will notify the client by email that a new protocol is available.
📍 Note: Formatting looks off? When you copy and paste text from a third-party source into Practice Better, the formatting might not carry over exactly. To fix this, select all the text content in the protocol editor and click the Clear formatting button in the toolbar.
Draft vs Published Protocols
Protocols in Draft status are not visible to the client, even if they appear in the client's record. Use draft status to build and refine your protocol before sharing.
Protocols in Published status are visible to the client in their portal and cannot be edited once shared. To make changes to a published protocol, duplicate it and publish the updated version.
How Clients Receive and Access Protocols
When you publish a protocol, your client receives an email notification alerting them to the new resource. Clients access their protocols by logging into their Client Portal and going to My Resources > Protocols. Mobile users can view protocols through the Practice Better mobile app, and protocols can be printed directly from the client portal if needed.
If a client reports they can't access their protocol, verify two things: the client has activated their client portal login, and the protocol status is Published (not still in draft) in the client's record.
Checking if a Client Has Viewed Their Protocol
To see whether a client has opened their protocol, go to the client's record and check the Recent Activity stream. A Viewed indicator appears when the client has accessed the protocol in their portal.
Updating a Published Protocol
Published protocols are locked and cannot be edited directly. To revise a protocol that's already been shared with a client, create an updated version from the existing one.
- Go to the client record's Protocols section.
- Click the More Options menu (3 dots) next to the protocol and select Duplicate.
- Make your edits to the new draft version.
- Click Save > Save and Publish to share the updated protocol with your client.
- Optionally, delete the older version from the client's Protocols section.
📍 Note: Editing a protocol template does not automatically update protocols already shared with clients. Each client protocol is a standalone document, so changes to your templates won't unexpectedly alter active care plans.
Duplicating a Protocol
If you'd like to assign the same protocol to a client again, or use a previous protocol as a starting point with some adjustments, you can duplicate it. The duplicate is created as a draft, so you can edit it before publishing.
- Go to the client's Protocols section.
- Click the More Options menu (3 dots) next to the protocol and select Duplicate.
- Review and edit the draft as needed, then click Save > Save and Publish.