SOAP Notes For Physical Therapy Template
An intuitive SOAP note template for physical therapists will help your practice improve its documentation, all while saving valuable time.
Fact Checked by RJ Gumban.
What is a Physical Therapy SOAP Notes Template?
Physical therapy SOAP notes are a specific format of progress notes that physical therapists can use to organize their documentation in a consistent and coherent way. Utilizing a SOAP note template has many advantages for physical therapists; they help save time, elevate productivity and improve clinical outcomes. SOAP notes are separated into the four following sections:
Subjective: The subjective section includes information regarding how the patient describes their chief concern (CC). It is a good idea to include quotes from the patient in this section, as well as their symptoms, and how the concern is impacting their day-to-day life.
Objective: The objective section includes your professional observations about the patient’s behavior and affect. You can also include any assessments or tests that you completed during the session.
Assessment: The assessment is basically a synthesis of the first two sections. You want to state your analysis or interpretation of the subjective and objective sections and include an indication of how the patient is progressing and whether the treatment plan appears to be working.
Plan: The final section of the SOAP note refers to the future plan of treatment for the patient. This may include upcoming sessions, referrals, changes to the treatment plan, as well as any goals the patient is aiming to achieve.
Printable SOAP Notes For Physical Therapy Template
Check out these Physical Therapy SOAP Notes Templates to improve your progress notes, productivity, and client outcomes.
How to Use This SOAP Note Template for Physical Therapy?
The aim behind creating a SOAP note template for physical therapists is to make the documentation process easier and help your physical therapy practice save valuable time. For this reason, utilizing our SOAP note template is very simple.
Step One: Access the PDF SOAP note template
The first thing you need to do is download the PDF SOAP note template so you can edit it. We have included a link to the template on this page, and all you have to do is click on it and you’ll be taken directly to the template.
Step Two: Fill in the relevant sections
Following a session with a client, it’s time to fill in the four sections of the SOAP note. The template has been organized and structured for you so you don’t have to waste any time formatting. Simply click into each section and write in the relevant information.
Step Three: Don’t forget credentials
Every SOAP note needs to have certain credentials, including the patient’s name, the date and time of the session, and your professional credentials. SOAP notes are legal documents and they can be shared between various third-parties, so it is absolutely essential that you include these details.
Step Four: Store your notes securely
After you have written your SOAP note, you need to store it securely. SOAP notes contain confidential information, and in order to protect the privacy of your patients, you need to ensure they are secure at all times. One of the best ways to do this is to invest in a HIPAA-compliant practice management software like Carepatron, which stores ePHI safely with a range of electronic and physical safeguards.
Physical Therapy SOAP Note Example (Sample)
To help you visualize what a completed SOAP note will look like using our PDF template, we’ve created a sample. This example demonstrates the type of information that physical therapists should include in each section of a SOAP note and the kind of language you should be using.
Download this Physical Therapy SOAP Note Example here:
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Who Can Use This Physical Therapy Template?
One of the best aspects of our SOAP note template is how applicable it is to all kinds of physical therapists. Whether you work as a solo practitioner or are part of a larger business, our SOAP note template will be perfectly suitable. We’re also aware of the different kinds of treatment and specializations of physical therapists:
- Occupational physical therapy
- Rehabilitative physical therapy
- Pediatric physical therapy
- Geriatric physical therapy
- Orthopedic physical therapy
- Neurological physical therapy
Regardless of which type of physical therapy you primarily work in, you will be able to use our SOAP note template. As you may have noticed in the above list, physical therapists are sometimes differentiated depending on the age of their patients. While the specific disorders and treatment methods you use may differ depending on your patients’ ages, the general structure of the SOAP note will always remain the same. This makes it particularly useful for therapists working in a practice that has different specializations, as everyone can utilize the same SOAP note format.
Why is This Template Useful For Physical Therapists?
When it comes to the day-to-day work of a physical therapist, using a SOAP note template is very useful. Some of the reasons why this is the case include the following:
- Organization: Having access to an intuitive, simplified SOAP note template will help increase the organization of any physical therapist. This resource ensures that documentation is structured in a consistent manner, helping physical therapists improve the organization of their work.
- Accuracy: Because SOAP notes are structured into four clear and coherent sections, you can ensure you don’t miss out any important details. Writing effective and accurate progress notes is a vital aspect of working as a physical therapist, and using this PDF template can help you ensure this is the case.
- Saves time: Therapists lead busy lives, and often find themselves spending a lot of time on administrative tasks like writing progress notes. With a pre-designed SOAP note template, you’ll be able to reduce the amount of time you spend writing notes, which can instead be spent completing more pressing tasks.
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Why Use Carepatron For Physical Therapy SOAP note?
One of the best ways to streamline your clinical documentation process is investing in a practice management software. Carepatron’s all-in-one platform offers a fantastic SOAP note resource that is truly guaranteed to improve your documentation. Additionally, Carepatron is integrated with voice-to-text transcription, designed to elevate the accuracy of your SOAP notes all while saving you valuable time. When it comes to storing your SOAP notes, Carepatron has high-quality physical and electronic safeguards that ensure your ePHI is protected at all times. Finding a platform that is HIPAA-complaint is an absolute must when it comes to writing progress notes, and Carepatron is the perfect solution for this.
In addition to assisting you in writing your physical therapy SOAP notes, Carepatron has a range of different practice management tools. These include medical billing, coding, appointment scheduling, patient engagement, and mobile health solutions. Having access to each of these features is guaranteed to improve communication, productivity, and most importantly, clinical outcomes. Making the decision to utilize the SOAP note tools offered by Carepatron is one of the best ways you can help your physical therapy practice achieve fantastic results.
Commonly asked questions
While the short answer is yes, you can handwrite SOAP notes, we wouldn’t recommend doing so. Handwritten notes can be stolen or lost easily, and storing them in filing cabinets makes accessibility harder. By using an online platform to write and store your SOAP notes, you can guarantee they are safely secured - not to mention that typing is generally much faster than handwriting!
While this depends on the type of physical therapy session that you have had with your patient, a good rule of thumb is around 1-2 pages. SOAP notes should be clear and concise, and you should try not to repeat yourself or use overly wordy sentences.
Because SOAP notes are legal documents, you need to ensure that everything you include is appropriate and professional. Any observations you make about a patient’s behavior or affect need to be supported by some kind of evidence. You should also avoid any kind of judgemental or offensive language, and keep abbreviations to a minimum.
