...
<script id="patient-description-template" type="text/template">
    <div class="patient-description">
        <spring:message code='appointment.Appointment.create.patientId'/>{{- patientId}}<br/>
        <spring:message code='appointment.Appointment.create.patientPhoneNumber'/>{{- phoneNumber}}<br/>
        <spring:message code='appointment.Appointment.create.patientMissedMeeting'/>{{- dateMissedLastAppointment}}<br/>
    </div>
</script>
...
var patientDescriptionTemplate = _.template($j('#patient-description-template').html()); // THIS
function updatePatient(formFieldId, patientObj, isPageLoad) {
        if(patientObj!=null){
                addPatientLink(patientObj);
                DWRAppointmentService.getPatientDescription(patientObj.patientId, function(details){
                        if(!details){
                                document.getElementById('patientDataCell').innerHTML = "";
                                return;
                        }
                        if(!details.phoneNumber)
                            details.phoneNumber = "<spring:message code='appointment.Appointment.create.patientNoPhoneNumber'/>";;
                        if(!details.dateMissedLastAppointment)
                                details.dateMissedLastAppointment = "<spring:message code='appointment.Appointment.create.patientNotMissedLastAppointment'/>";;
                var evaluated = patientDescriptionTemplate(details); // THIS
                // now need to display this somewhere
                });
        }
   }