Progress Notes Template

The length of a progress note will largely depend on the type of session you have had. With that being said, keeping a progress note to 1-2 pages is a fairly good benchmark. If you conducted tests and examinations in your session or changed a treatment plan, then you could expect the corresponding progress note to be longer than if it was a standard check-up.

Progress notes are legal documents and can be viewed by both other healthcare providers and the patient, so you need to maintain professionalism at all times. Avoid using any judgemental or possible offensive language, and don't use medical jargon or abbreviations that aren't universally understood. After you write your progress notes, it's a good idea to give them a quick overview to ensure they contain the correct information and maintain professionalism.

Because progress notes are legal documents, they are required in pretty much every healthcare field. They are used primarily to track the progress of a patient and play a massive role in clinical decision-making. As such, healthcare providers should be writing progress notes after each session or encounter that they have with a patient.