For your case study, use the following case to complete a focused SOAP note. Make sure to answer all the questions at the end of your SOAP note and follow the rubric for the required elements in this case. Add information as necessary to create a cohesive soap note.
Case Study:
Lou Brown is a 58-year-old white male who comes in with a cough for the past four days. He says that the cough has been intermittent. It started out as a dry cough but over the past two days, he has started coughing up thick pale-yellow phlegm. He thinks he has had a fever but he has not actually taken his temperature. He is a smoker but has not been smoking very much the past few days as that seems to make the cough worse. He has also felt very tired. He has taken Tylenol off and on and it does help slightly. About a week and a half ago, he played poker with some friends and one of them was sick. His wife accompanies him and when you ask them both, they deny that he has had any confusion.
PMH: History of Hypertension and Diabetes Mellitus Type 2. He admits he has not been going to his provider on a regular basis (thinks last time he went was about 7 months ago) but his provider had refilled his meds for a year, so he has not run out of them.
Medications: lisinopril 20 mg daily; metformin 500 mg twice daily
Allergies: Penicillin
Social history: 40 pack year history of tobacco use (cigarettes); no alcohol or drugs.
Vitals: Ht: 5’4”; Wt: 190 lbs; BP: 150/94; P 88 R 26; Temp: 101.0 oral Pulse ox 96%
The questions below need to be answered at the end of the SOAP Note.
- Please document the history questions you would ask the patient. What questions would you ask related to the current complaint? What questions would you ask related to his comorbidities?
- What Physical assessment would you obtain? Describe what you would be looking for.
- What labs/diagnostics would you order?
- List your top four differential diagnoses. Explain your rationale for your top diagnosis.
- What is a CURB Score?
- When his labs come back, his CMP shows that his BUN is 21. Based on that information and on his presentation, what is his CURB score and how did you arrive at that score?
- Based on his CURB score, should he be treated on an outpatient or inpatient basis?
- His chest x-ray does indeed show infiltrates. What would be your treatment plan for him?
- Name 3 health promotion topics that you should discuss with him.
- What would your follow-up plan be?
Focused SOAP Note Template
Patient Information:
Initials, Age, Sex, Race
S.
CC (chief complaint): A brief statement identifying why the patient is here, stated in the patient’s own words (for instance “headache,” not “bad headache for 3 days”).
HPI: This is the symptom analysis section of your note. Thorough documentation in this section is essential for patient care, coding, and billing analysis. Paint a picture of what is wrong with the patient. Use LOCATES Mnemonic to complete your HPI. You need to start EVERY HPI with age, race, and gender (e.g., 34-year-old AA male). You must include the seven attributes of each principal symptom in paragraph form not a list. If the CC was “headache,” the LOCATES for the HPI might look like the following example:
Location: Head
Onset: 3 days ago
Character: Pounding, pressure around the eyes and temples
Associated signs and symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, photophobia, phonophobia
Timing: After being on the computer all day at work
Exacerbating/relieving factors: Light bothers eyes; Aleve makes it tolerable but not completely better
Severity: 7/10 pain scale
Current Medications: Include dosage, frequency, length of time used, and reason for use; also include OTC or homeopathic products.
Allergies: Include medication, food, and environmental allergies separately. Include a description of what the allergy is (e.g., angioedema, anaphylaxis, etc.). This will help determine a true reaction vs. intolerance.
PMHx: Include immunization status (note date of
last tetanus for all adults), past major illnesses and surgeries. Depending on the CC, more info is sometimes needed.
Soc & Substance Hx: Include occupation and major hobbies, family status, tobacco, and alcohol use (previous and current use), any other pertinent data. Always add some health promo question here – such as whether they use seat belts all the time or whether they have working smoke detectors in the house, living environment, text/cell phone use while driving, and support system.
Fam Hx: Identify illnesses with possible genetic predisposition, and contagious or chronic illnesses. Reason for death of any deceased first-degree relatives should be included. Include parents, grandparents, siblings, and children. Include grandchildren if pertinent.
Surgical Hx: Prior surgical procedures.
Mental Hx: Diagnosis and treatment. Current concerns: (Anxiety and/or depression). History of self-harm practices and/or suicidal or homicidal ideation.
Violence Hx: Concern or issues about safety (personal, home, community, sexual (current & historical)
For your case study, use the following case to complete a focused SOAP note. Make sure to answer all the questions at the end of your SOAP note and follow the rubric for the required elements in this case. Add information as necessary to create a cohesive soap note.
Case Study:
Lou Brown is a 58-year-old white male who comes in with a cough for the past four days. He says that the cough has been intermittent. It started out as a dry cough but over the past two days, he has started coughing up thick pale-yellow phlegm. He thinks he has had a fever but he has not actually taken his temperature. He is a smoker but has not been smoking very much the past few days as that seems to make the cough worse. He has also felt very tired. He has taken Tylenol off and on and it does help slightly. About a week and a half ago, he played poker with some friends and one of them was sick. His wife accompanies him and when you ask them both, they deny that he has had any confusion.
PMH: History of Hypertension and Diabetes Mellitus Type 2. He admits he has not been going to his provider on a regular basis (thinks last time he went was about 7 months ago) but his provider had refilled his meds for a year, so he has not run out of them.
Medications: lisinopril 20 mg daily; metformin 500 mg twice daily
Allergies: Penicillin
Social history: 40 pack year history of tobacco use (cigarettes); no alcohol or drugs.
Vitals: Ht: 5’4”; Wt: 190 lbs; BP: 150/94; P 88 R 26; Temp: 101.0 oral Pulse ox 96%
The questions below need to be answered at the end of the SOAP Note.
1. Please document the history questions you would ask the patient. What questions would you ask related to the current complaint? What questions would you ask related to his comorbidities?
1. What Physical assessment would you obtain? Describe what you would be looking for.
1. What labs/diagnostics would you order?
1. List your top four differential diagnoses. Explain your rationale for your top diagnosis.
1. What is a CURB Score?
1. When his labs come back, his CMP shows that his BUN is 21. Based on that information and on his presentation, what is his CURB score and how did you arrive at that score?
2. Based on his CURB score, should he be treated on an outpatient or inpatient basis?
3. His chest x-ray does indeed show infiltrates. What would be your treatment plan for him?
1. Name 3 health promotion topics that you should discuss with him.
1. What would your follow-up plan be?
