Conditional Logic: Build Forms That Ask the Right Questions

Every patient who walks into your practice is different. A new patient with diabetes and a returning patient coming in for a sprained ankle have almost nothing in common on an intake form. But most forms treat them identically: same 40 questions, same order, same irrelevant sections.

Conditional logic fixes this. Fields appear or disappear based on what the patient has already answered, so each person sees only the questions that apply to them.

The Basics

Conditional logic (sometimes called skip logic or branching) shows or hides questions based on previous answers. Simple examples:

• Patient selects "No" for allergies, and allergy detail fields disappear
• Patient chooses "New patient", and new patient sections appear; returning patients see a different flow
• Patient reports diabetes, and glucose monitoring, current insulin regimen, and complication screening questions appear

The form adapts in real time. No page reloads, no awkward blank sections.

Why This Matters More Than You Think

Shorter Forms, Better Data

A 40-field intake form where half the fields are irrelevant to any given patient is a recipe for checked-out responses. Patients start skimming, checking "No" reflexively, and rushing through sections that actually matter.

When you hide irrelevant questions, the form gets shorter. Patients engage more with the questions they do see. The data quality goes up because people are actually reading what they're answering.

Completion Rates Go Up

Form abandonment is real, especially on mobile. Every unnecessary field is another reason to close the tab. Conditional logic can cut a 40-field form down to 15 fields for a simple case, which is the difference between a 60% and 90% completion rate.

It Feels Professional

When a form asks only relevant questions, patients notice. It signals that you've thought about their experience, that you're not just throwing a generic questionnaire at them. This is a small thing that shapes how patients perceive your practice.

Practical Patterns

Yes/No Branching

The most common pattern. "Do you have any allergies?" If yes, show the allergy detail fields. If no, skip ahead.

Multi-Choice Branching

"What type of visit is this?" Based on the answer (annual physical, follow-up, new concern), the form branches into completely different sections with relevant questions for each.

Value-Based Conditions

Show pediatric developmental screening questions if the patient's age is under 18. Show Medicare-specific insurance fields for patients over 65. The condition is based on a numeric or date value, not just a selection.

Section-Level Logic

Instead of hiding individual fields, hide entire pages or sections. A new patient sees demographics, insurance, full medical history. A returning patient sees a quick update form: just changed medications, new symptoms, and updated contact info.

Building It Well

Map it first. Before you start dragging fields around, sketch the paths through your form. What triggers what? What are the edge cases? A few minutes of planning saves an hour of debugging.

Keep conditions simple. Deeply nested logic ("if A AND B but not C, unless D") is hard to test and easy to break. If your conditions are getting complex, you probably need a different form structure.

Test every path. Submit the form as different patient types. Make sure required fields in conditional sections don't block submission when those sections are hidden. Make sure nothing appears that shouldn't.

Explain when it matters. If a section suddenly appears, a brief header like "Since you indicated you take medications, please provide details below" helps the patient understand why new questions appeared.

Healthcare Use Cases That Work Well

Medical history intake: Show condition-specific questions only for conditions the patient reports. A patient with hypertension sees blood pressure medication questions. A patient without it doesn't.

Appointment-specific forms: A pre-surgical patient sees consent forms, fasting instructions, and anesthesia screening. A routine checkup patient sees none of that.

Insurance collection: Show different insurance fields based on whether the patient has private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, or is self-pay. Each path collects exactly what's needed for that payer type.

Symptom triage: Initial symptom selection branches into severity scales, duration questions, and related symptom checks specific to what the patient reported.

Conditional logic turns a static form into something that responds to each patient individually. In Formisoft, you set it up visually in the drag-and-drop builder, no code, no formulas. The form handles the rest.