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Physiotherapy vocabulary · Rehabilitation Planning and Records

SOAP notes

Meaning in physiotherapy, with examples

nounCommon term

In physiotherapy, SOAP notes means: A common way of organising clinical notes in four parts: Subjective, Objective, Assessment (or Analysis) and Plan.

In Turkish: SOAP notu, SOAP formatında kayıt

How it is used

Widely used by physiotherapists to document each session. S records what the patient says, O what you found, A your clinical interpretation and P what you will do next. Notes must be clear, dated, signed and free of unclear abbreviations, because they are legal records.

Example sentences

  1. Please write your SOAP notes straight after each session, not at the end of the day.

  2. According to the SOAP notes, the plan is to progress to standing exercises next week.

Common collocations

  • write SOAP notes
  • SOAP format
  • clinical notes
  • document a session
  • subjective assessmentThe first part of a physiotherapy assessment, in which the patient describes their problem, symptoms, history and goals in their own words.
  • objective assessmentThe part of a physiotherapy assessment in which the physiotherapist observes, measures and tests the patient's body, for example movement, strength and special tests.
  • treatment planThe agreed set of treatments, goals and timescales for a patient, based on the findings of the assessment.
  • assessmentThe process of collecting information about a patient's problem through questions, observation, measurement and tests, in order to understand it and plan treatment.

More terms: Rehabilitation Planning and Records

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.