<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations . Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations . (March 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations . Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations . (March 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <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 four components of a SOAP note are Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan . The length and focus of each component of a SOAP note vary depending on the specialty; for instance, a surgical SOAP note is likely to be much briefer than a medical SOAP note, and will focus on issues that relate to post-surgical status . </P>

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