Refining SOPs with AI
After generating a SOP, you will often want to adjust specific sections without rewriting the whole thing. The Refine feature lets you select any portion of a SOP and ask SOPHIE to edit just that part while leaving everything else untouched.
What Is Refine?
Refine is a targeted AI editing tool built into the SOP editor. Instead of regenerating an entire SOP from scratch, you highlight the specific text you want changed, tell SOPHIE what to do with it, and review the result before applying it.
This is useful when a SOP is 90% right but one section needs work -- maybe a procedure needs software-specific steps added, or instructions need to be simplified for a new hire. You stay in control of what changes and what stays the same.
How to Use Refine
Refine is available whenever you are editing a SOP. Follow these steps to refine any section:
Step 1: Select the text you want to change. Open a SOP in the editor and highlight the section you want SOPHIE to edit. This can be a single sentence, a few steps, or an entire section. Click and drag to select, just like you would in any text editor.
Step 2: Click the Refine button. After selecting text, click the Refine button (the sparkle icon) in the editor toolbar. A dialog will appear showing your selected text.
Step 3: Describe what you want changed. Type your instruction in the text field. Be specific about what you want SOPHIE to do with the selected text. For example: "Add the steps for creating a new patient record in Eaglesoft" or "Simplify this for a new dental assistant." The more detail you provide, the better the result.
Step 4: Review the result. SOPHIE will process your request and show you a preview of the edited text. Take a moment to read through it and make sure it looks right.
Step 5: Apply, retry, or discard. You have three options:
- Apply -- Replaces your selected text with the refined version.
- Try again -- Go back and adjust your instruction if the result was not quite right.
- Discard -- Cancel and keep the original text unchanged.
Keyboard shortcuts:
- Cmd+Enter (Ctrl+Enter on Windows) -- Submit your instruction or apply the result.
- Escape -- Discard and close the dialog, keeping the original text unchanged.
What Refine Can Do
Refine handles a wide range of edits. Here are some of the most common ways dental practices use it:
Add software-specific steps. Select a general procedure and ask SOPHIE to include steps for your practice management software. For example: "Add the Dentrix steps for submitting an insurance claim" or "Include the Oryx steps for capturing intraoral photos." This is one of the most popular uses of Refine -- turning a generic procedure into one tailored to your exact tools.
Simplify complex instructions. Highlight a technical section and ask SOPHIE to "rewrite this for someone with no dental experience" or "simplify for a front desk team member."
Expand brief notes. Select a short bullet point and ask SOPHIE to "expand this into detailed step-by-step instructions" when you need more detail for training purposes.
Adjust tone or format. Ask SOPHIE to "make this more conversational for a patient handout" or "convert these paragraphs into a numbered checklist."
Add compliance notes. Select a clinical procedure and ask SOPHIE to "add OSHA requirements" or "include infection control checkpoints."
Translate or add translations. Highlight patient-facing text and ask SOPHIE to "add a Spanish translation below each step."
Update for new equipment or software. When your practice switches systems, select the relevant steps and ask SOPHIE to "replace the Open Dental steps with Dentrix equivalents." This saves significant time compared to manually rewriting every affected SOP.
Add role-specific notes. Select a section and ask SOPHIE to "add notes for the dental assistant's responsibilities" or "clarify which steps the front desk handles versus the hygienist."
Refine vs. Generate
Generate and Refine are complementary tools. It helps to understand when to use each:
| Generate | Refine | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Creates an entire SOP from scratch | Edits a specific section you select |
| When to use | Starting a new SOP or replacing one entirely | Fine-tuning parts of an existing SOP |
| What it changes | The whole document | Only the text you highlighted |
| Instructions | Describe the full SOP you want | Describe the change to make to the selected text |
A common workflow is to Generate first to create the initial SOP, then use Refine to adjust specific sections until everything is right. Most teams find this generate-then-refine approach is the fastest way to produce high-quality SOPs.
Tips for Getting the Best Results
These tips will help you get the most out of Refine:
Be specific in your instruction. "Make this better" gives SOPHIE very little to work with. "Add the step where the assistant hands the patient a post-op instruction sheet" tells SOPHIE exactly what to include.
Highlight only what you want changed. If you select the entire SOP, Refine works more like a full rewrite. Select just the paragraph or steps you want edited for more precise results.
Use Refine iteratively. You do not have to get it perfect in one pass. Refine one section, apply it, then select the next section that needs work. Each Refine only affects the text you selected, so the rest of your SOP stays exactly as it was.
Combine with AI Preferences. Your AI Preferences are applied during Refine too, so if you have standing instructions about tone or compliance, they will be factored in automatically.
Try again with a different instruction. If the first result is not what you wanted, click "Try again" and rephrase your instruction. Sometimes a small change in wording produces a much better result.
Review before applying. Always read through the preview before clicking Apply. SOPHIE does a good job, but you know your practice best. A quick review ensures nothing important was lost or changed unintentionally.
No changes are permanent until you save. Applying a refinement updates the text in the editor, but the SOP is not saved until you click Save. If you apply a change and decide you do not like it, you can undo it with Cmd+Z (or Ctrl+Z on Windows) before saving.
Refine works with your AI Preferences. If you have set up AI Preferences, those instructions are automatically included when refining. This means your standing instructions about tone, compliance, and formatting carry over into every refinement without extra effort.
Refine uses AI tokens. Each refinement counts toward your workspace's AI usage. Smaller, more targeted selections tend to use fewer tokens and produce more focused results than selecting large blocks of text.