The SOAP note is used in the [health care] profession to document [patient] visits. The note covers in general categories most information that needs to be gathered to document [E2 Medicine|medical] visits. The letters stand for the following:

S = [Subjective]
O = [Objective]
A = [Assessment]
P = [Plan]

Subjective
The subjective portion of the notes contains the information you receive from the patient. It may include

[Medical history]
Family history
[Review of systems]
[History of present illness]

In this section you try to [document] everything possible that might shed light on a patient's condition.

Objective
This is the [physical examination] portion. [Vital signs], general [appearance], and other findings on direct examination of the patient should be putin this section

Assessment
[Diagnosis|Diagnoses] and any [speculation] are placed in this section. Sometimes, a diagnosis hasn't been made, and the section consists of a list of [differential diagnosis|differential diagnoses] for the symptoms the patient has had.

Plan
Simply put, what does the medical professional intend to do about the [problem] or problems listed in the assessment section? Here's where that is documented.

See also: [SNOCAMP note]

SOAP note (idea)