The safest useful prompt contains the minimum facts needed for the task. Before entering case information into any external AI tool, confirm that organizational policy permits it, remove direct identifiers, and decide whether the remaining details could still identify the person when combined.
Start with the task, not the full record
A progress-note draft may need the service provided, the person’s stated goal, observed barriers, interventions, response, and next step. It usually does not need a name, full birth date, address, account number, medical-record number, or a copy of the entire chart.
A resource search may need a ZIP code, household size, deadline, and broad eligibility factors. It generally does not need a street address or narrative medical history.
Remove direct identifiers
- names, initials, signatures, usernames, and email addresses
- full dates of birth and other person-specific dates
- street addresses, phone numbers, account numbers, and record numbers
- Social Security, insurance, license, certificate, and case numbers
- photographs, biometric identifiers, and unique device or web identifiers
Reduce indirect identification
A narrative can be identifying even without a name. Replace exact ages with a broad adult or older-adult category when precision is unnecessary. Generalize rare occupations, unusual events, small locations, and exact dates. Remove names of relatives, employers, schools, landlords, and clinicians unless the task genuinely requires the relationship—and organizational policy permits it.
De-identified working version“Adult client missed a recent appointment after an eviction hearing and requested help coordinating housing and follow-up care.”
Review every generated statement
AI can invent facts, overstate certainty, choose an incorrect code, or turn a tentative observation into a clinical conclusion. Compare every sentence with the source notes. Remove unsupported details, correct chronology, distinguish client report from worker observation, and verify names, contacts, codes, eligibility rules, and citations using authoritative sources.
Keep the record in the approved system
CommonHelpSource produces drafts; it does not create the official record. Copy only the verified and revised content into the organization’s approved system. Follow applicable retention, consent, supervision, incident-reporting, and access-control rules. Do not use a public contact form for client information or emergencies.
A six-step working routine
- Define the exact output needed.
- Copy only the minimum relevant facts into a temporary working note.
- Remove direct and indirect identifiers.
- Generate the draft.
- Verify every statement and revise in your own professional voice.
- Transfer the final version to the approved record system and discard temporary text according to policy.