<P> The SOAP note ( an acronym for subjective , objective , assessment , and plan ) is a method of documentation employed by health care providers to write out notes in a patient 's chart , along with other common formats , such as the admission note . Documenting patient encounters in the medical record is an integral part of practice workflow starting with patient appointment scheduling , to writing out notes , to medical billing . The SOAP note originated from the Problem Oriented Medical Record ( POMR ) , developed by Lawrence Weed , MD . It was initially developed for physicians , who at the time , were the only health care providers allowed to write in a medical record . Today , it is widely adopted as a communication tool between inter-disciplinary healthcare providers as a way to document a patient 's progress . SOAP notes are now commonly found in electronic medical records ( EMR ) and are used by providers of various backgrounds . Prehospital care providers such as EMTs may use the same format to communicate patient information to emergency department clinicians . Physicians , physician assistants , nurse practitioners , pharmacists , podiatrists , chiropractors , acupuncturists , occupational therapists , physical therapists , school psychologists , speech - language pathologists , certified athletic trainers ( ATC ) , sports therapists , occupational therapists , among other providers use this format for the patient 's initial visit and to monitor progress during follow - up care . </P>
<P> The SOAP note ( an acronym for subjective , objective , assessment , and plan ) is a method of documentation employed by health care providers to write out notes in a patient 's chart , along with other common formats , such as the admission note . Documenting patient encounters in the medical record is an integral part of practice workflow starting with patient appointment scheduling , to writing out notes , to medical billing . The SOAP note originated from the Problem Oriented Medical Record ( POMR ) , developed by Lawrence Weed , MD . It was initially developed for physicians , who at the time , were the only health care providers allowed to write in a medical record . Today , it is widely adopted as a communication tool between inter-disciplinary healthcare providers as a way to document a patient 's progress . SOAP notes are now commonly found in electronic medical records ( EMR ) and are used by providers of various backgrounds . Prehospital care providers such as EMTs may use the same format to communicate patient information to emergency department clinicians . Physicians , physician assistants , nurse practitioners , pharmacists , podiatrists , chiropractors , acupuncturists , occupational therapists , physical therapists , school psychologists , speech - language pathologists , certified athletic trainers ( ATC ) , sports therapists , occupational therapists , among other providers use this format for the patient 's initial visit and to monitor progress during follow - up care . </P>
in the acronym soap the s stands for
in the acronym soap the s stands for
subjective
subjective