The acronym SOAP stands for which of the following?

• A. Subjective, Objective, Ask, Process
• B. Subjective, Observation, Ask, Process
• C. Subjective, Objective, Ask, Plan
• D. Subjective, Objective, Analysis, Plan

Answer: (A)

SOAP notes organize clinical encounters into four parts: Subjective data, what the patient reports; Objective data, what you observe or measure; Assessment, your clinical interpretation or diagnosis based on all information; and Plan, the treatment and next steps. The third component is your diagnostic reasoning, and the fourth is the intended management. The terms used should align with those labels, so the standard expansion is Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan. The option that uses “Ask” for the third part and “Process” for the fourth doesn’t match the usual SOAP terminology, where the third part is the assessment/diagnosis and the fourth is the plan of action. In practice, you’ll see and should use Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan.