Creating a SOAP note
For this discussion, you will be reviewing a patient progress note on Tana Smith. You will practice using your new medical vocabulary to create a SOAP note for a patient chart. SOAP is an acronym that stands for Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan.
The “S” stands for subjective, which contains the signs and symptoms the patient complains about; such as “I am having severe headaches,” “I am hearing voices but do not see anyone,” or “I have pain in my back and numbness in my right leg.”
The “O” stands for objective, which contains information on what you observe, such as the vital signs: Temperature: 98.6, Pulse: 62, Respiration: 16, Weight: 155, Height 5’ 5,” Blood Pressure: 128/78. It can also be information such as: “Patient grimacing when palpating (touching) left lower quadrant of abdominal region” or “Patient gait is unsteady,” “Patient’s range of motion (ROM) in left arm is limited.” You can also document information on a urine sample obtained: “Urine is dark amber” or “blood noted, urine dipstick performed; results show trace blood and protein.”
I have included an example for your reference of documenting a SOAP note.
Example:
06/01/14: S: Pt presents with c/o (complaints of) pain in back. Pt states it is painful to urinate, and is making frequent trips to the bathroom. Pt states very little comes out and urine is dark. Pt is holding left upper lumbar region. Pt states the pain has been going on for the last 2 days. O: T: 100.9, P: 90, R: 24, W: 162, H: 5’ 9” BP: 130/90. Pt is alert and responsive x 3. Urine sample obtained. Dark amber in color, urine dipstick results: trace amounts of blood, and protein. A: Urinalysis results positive for E Coli. Diagnosis: UTI P: Broad spectrum antibiotic prescribed. Advised to avoid caffeine, drink plenty of water, and avoid sexual relations for duration of antibiotics. Follow-up in 2 days if s/s do not subside. – TThomas, RN, BSN
Now you are ready to get started. Review the progress note for Tana Smith below, which contains medical terminology, abbreviations, lab, and diagnostic information.
You are to respond by composing a SOAP note. Write your SOAP note in layman terms, which means you will need to decipher the medical information in the progress note. You will need to include at least two items from each of the areas: History, Objective Findings, and Assessment. In addition, you need to include a follow-up treatment plan after discharge to educate the patient on the diagnosis and prevention from further episodes.
PROGRESS NOTE
Main Street Medical Center
6000 North Tree Street – Branch PA 12345 Phone: (555) 123-4567
PATIENT NAME: Tana Smith MEDICAL RECORD: 8888888
DATE OF BIRTH: 12/10/1988 DATE OF VISIT: 1/15/2015
HISTORY: The patient is a 28-year-old female, who has a history of IUD placement in 2012. May of 2014, patient seen by a gynecologist for dysmenorrhea and menometrorrhagia. Upon examination a hysterosalpingogram was performed. Patient diagnosed with oophoritis and hematosalpinx with multiple myoma. In June of 2014, patient was scheduled for a salpingostomy laparoscopically. A hysteroscopy was performed with visualization of two myoma of the uterus on lower left wall approximately 3 cm and 2.5 cm in diameter. At the junction of the fundus and left salpingo, a 4 cm myoma was noted. A myomectomy was performed on the smaller myoma without incidence. A D and C was performed. Due to complications during the procedure, a left salpingo-oophorectomy was performed. Patient presents to the ER today with c/o myalgia, episodes of syncope, fever, rash of the face and chest, N and V x 2 days, and leukorrhea. Patient states she experienced dysmenorrhea for the last 5 days and diarrhea started today.
OBJECTIVE FINDINGS:
Vitals: BP 105/62, T: 100.7, R: 22, P: 96, Weight: 155, Height: 5’6.”
Skin: Facial erythroderma, warm, clammy .
Resp: Lungs are clear to auscultation and percussion.
Cardio: S1, S2 within normal limits, without gallops or murmurs.
Gastro: abdominopelvic tender to palpation in lower right iliac region, without organomegaly mass.
Neuro: LOC – Alert and oriented to person, but confused to time and place. Grips, flexion, extension weak but equal bilaterally. PERRL.
Urinary: 100 ml cloudy, amber urine. No dysuria, polyuria, or tenderness with voiding reported. No bladder distention reported.
Lab: CBC, WBC, Creatinine, BUN, UA, Vaginal, Throat, and Urine cultures.
ASSESSMENT:
Patient posture is slightly bent; gait is slow. Examination conducted. Patient disoriented when asked questions, agitated and grimacing upon palpation of RLQ and posterior left lumbar region. Lower abdominopelvic region tender to palpation. No ascites noted. UA performed. Patient placed in lithotomy position to obtain vaginal cultures. Lab results show elevated WBCs – specific to elevated T Cells, anemia, albuminuria, and vaginal culture positive for staphylococci. This raises the suspicion of TSS and ARF.
TREATMENT SUMMARY: Patient admitted and transferred to the Intensive Care Unit, started on normal saline and Clindamycin 700 mg IV q 8h. Dopamine started IV. Indwelling Foley catheter inserted via urethra to monitor hourly output. Peri-pads used to replace tampons for menorrhea. VS taken q 2h. Day 2, patient responding well to intravenous infusion of dopamine and antibiotic therapy. Cultures obtained. Upon day 3, patient afebrile, blood pressure is within normal limits, cultures negative for Staph, BUN and liver function tests are within normal limits. Discharge orders written.
Please review the Discussion Board grading rubric on your Syllabus to understand how your posts will be evaluated. Your posts should be qualitative and provide substantive depth that advances the Discussion. You may view the Student Guide to Online Communication located in the Academic Tools tab above for additional information.
Initial Discussion responses should be around 150 words. Responses to your classmates or instructor should be around 75 words.
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
In medical practice, healthcare providers document the progress of patient visits using SOAP notes. SOAP stands for Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan. In this assignment, you will review a patient progress note and create a SOAP note for the patient’s chart. Your SOAP note should include information about the patient’s medical history, objective findings, assessment, and follow-up treatment plan.
Answer:
SOAP Note for Tana Smith:
Subjective: Tana Smith, a 28-year-old female, presents to the ER with muscle pain, episodes of syncope, fever, rash on the face and chest, N and V for 2 days, and leukorrhea. She also experienced dysmenorrhea for the last five days, and diarrhea started today. Tana has a history of IUD placement in 2012, oophoritis and hematosalpinx with multiple myoma in 2014, followed by a salpingostomy laparoscopically. She had a D and C, and a left salpingo-oophorectomy due to complications during the procedure.
Objective: Tana’s vital signs are BP 105/62, T: 100.7, R: 22, P: 96. Her skin is warm, clammy, and facial erythroderma. Lungs are clear to auscultation and percussion. S1, S2 are within normal limits without gallops or murmurs. The abdominopelvic region is tender to palpation in the lower right iliac region, without organomegaly mass. Tana’s LOC is alert and oriented to person but confused to time and place. Her grips, flexion, extension are weak but equal bilaterally, and PERRL. UA performed, cloudy, amber urine, but no dysuria, polyuria, or tenderness with voiding reported. Lab results show elevated WBCs – specific to elevated T Cells, anemia, albuminuria, and vaginal culture positive for staphylococci. This raises the suspicion of TSS and ARF.
Assessment: Tana was examined and found with a slightly bent posture and slow gait. She was disoriented when asked questions, agitated, and grimacing upon palpation of RLQ and posterior left lumbar region. Lower abdomen/pelvic region was tender to palpation, and no ascites were noted. Elevated WBCs, staphylococci-positive vaginal culture, and suspicion of TSS and ARF.
Plan: Tana was admitted and transferred to the ICU, started on normal saline and Clindamycin 700 mg IV q 8h. Dopamine started IV, indwelling Foley catheter inserted via urethra to monitor hourly output, and peri-pads used to replace tampons for menorrhea. VS taken q 2h. On day 2, the patient responded well to intravenous infusion of dopamine and antibiotic therapy. Cultures obtained, and upon day 3, Tana was afebrile, blood pressure was within normal limits, cultures negative for Staph, BUN and liver function tests were within normal limits. Discharge orders were written, and Tana was advised to follow-up with her gynecologist promptly.
