The piece of a SOAP note that describes what the clinician intends to do next for the patient is called what?

The piece of a SOAP note that describes what the clinician intends to do next for the patient is called what?

• A. Plan
• B. Assessment
• C. Objective
• D. Subjective

Answer: (A)

The part that describes what the clinician will do next is the Plan. It’s the action-oriented section that lays out the management steps: medications or therapies to start or continue, tests or referrals to order, patient education, follow-up plans, and contingencies if things don’t improve. This communicates the next steps in the patient’s care and how progress will be monitored. The other sections serve different roles: Subjective captures the patient’s reported symptoms, Objective includes what the clinician objectively observes or measures, and Assessment is the clinician’s diagnosis or synthesis based on the subjective and objective data. For example, the Plan might specify a medication to start, a follow-up appointment, instructions for home care, and criteria for re-evaluation.

The part that describes what the clinician will do next is the Plan. It’s the action-oriented section that lays out the management steps: medications or therapies to start or continue, tests or referrals to order, patient education, follow-up plans, and contingencies if things don’t improve. This communicates the next steps in the patient’s care and how progress will be monitored. The other sections serve different roles: Subjective captures the patient’s reported symptoms, Objective includes what the clinician objectively observes or measures, and Assessment is the clinician’s diagnosis or synthesis based on the subjective and objective data. For example, the Plan might specify a medication to start, a follow-up appointment, instructions for home care, and criteria for re-evaluation.