Automatically populate form fields from another form

Question

Hi folks -

First time user of Acrobat DC and wonder if / how I can do the following?

A client comes to us for a medical. They may have to complete more than one form depending on what the medical is. If the client completes one form, is there a way that when the second form is opened, their basic details (name, address, DOB, etc) can automatically populate the same fields on the second form so the client doesn't have to type the details in twice?

Is this possible? Or instead would I have to create both forms as one form, and hide the second part of the form if not needed?

gkaiseril · Answer

You are restricted in the U.S. by HIPPA. As noted Acrobat or Reader could be use but transferring data through a file might not be the most secure option. It is possible to have one PDF open another PDF and read fields in that file but you would need a method to make sure one user cannot open another user's field even by accident. This might require setting up a user account for each patient. Also the scripts and supplemental files might not work on mobile devices like smart phones and tablets.

Instead of opening a second file, have you looked into the possibility of using templates in the first file to add the pages for the additional forms as needed. These forms could be updated with the data from the first page and all the forms would be in one file for the visit. This approach will not work on mobile devices but can be used with the Acrobat Reader XI and DC and the PDFs would be completely self contained.

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