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When you take care of multiple clients, you need a system to keep track of them all. Most healthcare professionals use SOAP Notes to record the details of each treatment. Depending on where you practice, massage therapists may not be required to keep SOAP notes. That may leave you wondering, “what is the benefit of using SOAP notes” and “do I really need to?” We have answers for you.
It’s simply not possible to remember the details of every massage treatment you provide. Plus, you can’t share that information if it’s not written down. That’s why healthcare professionals use the universal system of SOAP Notes for recording patient treatment details and benchmarks.
SOAP Notes can help you:
The primary benefit of using SOAP Notes is to keep track of progress. When a client comes in with a specific problem, it’s essential to record treatment details, improvements and regressions. Those notes paint a picture of what’s working - and what isn’t.
Even if you’re not trying to resolve a specific problem, you still need to keep notes. How many times has a client said, “I really loved what you did last time!” You can’t rely on memory to recreate every experience.
Using a standard form, or SOAP Note is a simple way to stay organized. Use a professional template to create all your SOAP Notes. This will create consistency in your note-taking. Plus, it’ll be much easier to scan and find what you’re looking for.
If your clients are being treated by other healthcare professionals, you may need to share treatment details with them. Doctors, chiropractors and other wellness professionals already use SOAP Notes. So the best way to share your insight is by using one.
Plus, using professional forms helps establish your credibility with other providers.
If an insurance company is paying for massage therapy, they may want treatment details. SOAP Notes are the easiest way to share injury description, progress and the number of subsequent sessions needed.
You can use SOAP Notes to record and design a massage therapy treatment plan. The benefit of using a SOAP Note is that there's no need to create new documents for sharing.
If you have multiple massage therapists in your practice, you need a system for organizing and sharing information. If more than one therapist treats the same client, they need to be able to access previous treatment details.
When everyone in the clinic is recording information the same way, working together is a lot easier.
Sometimes, a client will come to you with a problem you resolved for them before. If you keep detailed SOAP Notes, you can look back and see how you helped them previously. You might even be able to identify a theme related to their issue. For instance, the same activity may have caused the flare-up before.
Basically, SOAP Notes prevent you from having to reinvent the wheel each session.
An easy way to systemize and streamline your SOAP notes is to use SOAP notes software that is integrated within your existing massage therapy, physical therapy, or practice management software solution!
ClinicSense offers and integrated technology stack that can help you with your documentation, administration, marketing, client management and more! Click the link below to start a free trial.
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