How to Write SOAP Notes Objective for Parkinson's Disease

SOAP Notes for Parkinson's Disease: Complete Documentation Guide

Genuinely, it's a joy finishing every session.

It gets even joyous when there's progress in that patient.

But you know what could make it less of a joy?

Paper.

The fact that you probably need to write something afterwards.

Writing is also something so inspired by motivation that it comes and goes.

It could be easier today, difficult the next day.

E.g., before I could write this article, I had spent my whole day confused about how to start.

Quick tip: I fixed SOAP notes writing. I want you to fix yours, so I built soapnotes.doctor. Everything you need to have SOAP notes written for you automatically. HIPAA compliance. Accurate. Military grade encryption. The perfect tool.

Back to the Basics

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the "Objective" section, let's take a quick step back and talk about the foundation we're building on: SOAP notes themselves.

It's funny, a lot of us use them every single day, but we might not know their backstory.

SOAP notes were developed by a physician named Dr. Lawrence Weed in the 1960s as a way to structure and organize medical documentation.

His goal was simple: create a standardized format that forces practitioners to think critically and logically about a patient's problem, and document them in ways they can hold a good picture of the patient's state.

For instance, it's 8 months from now, and you're sitting across from a lawyer who wants to know exactly what interventions you used with a client back in March.

Or maybe you're trying to hand off a client to another professional and you need to explain three years of progress in a way that actually makes sense.

SOAP notes.

They eventually became the gold standard for clinical documentation across countless disciplines.

So, what exactly is a SOAP note? It's an acronym that stands for:

• S - Subjective: What the patient tells you. Their feelings, symptoms, or concerns. This is their story in their own words.
• O - Objective: The measurable, observable data. Think physical exam findings, lab results, and, as we'll soon discuss, functional performance.
• A - Assessment: Your professional opinion or diagnosis based on the S and O data. It's where you synthesize all the information.
• P - Plan: The course of action. What are you going to do next? This includes treatments, referrals, and patient education.

The Right Way to Approach Parkinson's Disease

Personally, I have an easy approach. And here's it. It's quick.

Head over to soapnotes.doctor, sign up, use the record button in your session (or dictate when you need to). When you're done, use the save session button. It takes 2 minutes of processing time. You have a well-written SOAP note. And since we use AES encryption, only you can see whatever notes you have.

Want to tweak things up? Fine.

We launched the tailorr feature for this same purpose.

After your generation, use the tailorr button to add tags of what you need. Want to quote the patient? Fine. Want a listicle? Fine.

SOAPnotes.doctor is the best of ways to handle SOAP note writing in 2025. You're putting so much stress on yourselves already. Documentation shouldn't be a stress when it can be mitigated.

Now, if you still want to write manually, here's my guide before I built soapnotes.doctor.

Write SOAP Notes with my Three-Layer Approach

Layer 1: Set Up Your Template Before Anyone Shows Up

Starting with a blank page is a recipe for inefficiency.

Before your client with Parkinson's even walks in, have a foundational template ready.

This allows you to pay attention to what's most important and increases efficiency by a large fold.

Subjective:

Start with standard questions. "Client reports on their current energy levels and tremor control today." "Main issues today: [e.g., challenges with dressing, difficulty initiating gait]." "Key observation from the client: [their exact words on a good or bad day]."

Objective:

Here's where most therapists fail miserably with Parkinson's documentation. They write vague observations like "tremor noted" or "balance deficits observed."

Your objective section needs to tell what's actually happening with this person's nervous system, and it needs to follow a logical sequence that any clinician can interpret.

So here's how you achieve that…

1. Start with Posture and Positioning (The Foundation)

Before they even move, what do you see? Document their resting posture in sitting and standing. Is there a forward head posture? Kyphotic spine? Flexed elbows?

These postural changes directly impact every movement they'll attempt.

Example: "Seated posture demonstrates moderate forward head posture with bilateral shoulder protraction and flexed elbow positioning at 45 degrees bilaterally."

2. Tremor Assessment (The Baseline)

Resting tremor is your baseline. Document it systematically: location, amplitude, frequency, and what makes it better or worse.

Stop saying "tremor present." Be specific: "4-5 Hz resting tremor observed in right hand with moderate amplitude (2/4 on tremor scale). Tremor suppresses completely with purposeful movement and increases with cognitive loading (counting backwards)."

3. Movement Initiation (The Gateway)

How do they start moving? Document the delay, the effort, the strategies they use. "Movement initiation from sitting requires 3-second delay with visible effort and forward trunk flexion strategy. No freezing episodes observed during session."

4. Dynamic Movement Quality (The Execution)

Now document how they actually move through space:

Gait Pattern: Describe the compensations. "Gait pattern demonstrates shortened stride length (approximately 12 inches vs. normal 24 inches), decreased foot clearance resulting in bilateral foot scuffing, and absent arm swing on right with minimal left arm swing. Client compensates with widened base of support for stability."

Bradykinesia in Action: Show how slowness manifests functionally. "Finger-to-thumb tapping test reveals progressive decline in amplitude and speed after 5 repetitions on right hand, with movement becoming barely perceptible by 10 repetitions."

5. Postural Control and Balance (The Safety Net)

This determines fall risk and independence.

Be specific about what you tested and what you found: "Modified pull test reveals mild retropulsion with 1 step backward to recover balance. Anticipatory postural adjustments adequate for planned movements but delayed by approximately 200ms based on observation."

Assessment:

What's the overall picture today? Is their medication timing affecting their symptoms ("on" vs. "off" state)? Are their symptoms progressing or showing signs of a "good day"? Note how their observed symptoms are impacting their functional ability today.

Layer 2: Develop Your Own Shorthand

Don't try to write full sentences during a session.

Develop a consistent shorthand system that captures key details quickly without taking your eyes off the client.

• "Gait → FZG x2" means they experienced freezing of gait twice during the session.
• "Tmr ++ (R)" means a significant resting tremor was observed, primarily on the right side.
• "Bradykinesia ↑" indicates an increase in the slowness of movement compared to their baseline.
• "FN Mtr slw" means fine motor skills were noticeably slower.
• "Hypophonia mod" means moderate hypophonia (soft speech) was present.

Consistency is paramount. A shorthand system is only useful if you remember what it means.

Layer 3: The Five-Minute Rule

The moment the session ends, sit down and expand your shorthand notes into a comprehensive, professional record.

This is where you transform your raw data into a coherent narrative.

Objective: Expand your notes into clear, descriptive sentences. Instead of "Gait → FZG x2," write: "Client exhibited two episodes of freezing of gait while attempting to ambulate from sitting to standing. Stride length was notably shortened, and arm swing was diminished and asymmetrical, particularly on the right side." This turns shorthand into evidence.

Assessment: Connect the "S" and "O" to your clinical reasoning. For example, "Client's reported fatigue ('S') correlates with observed increase in resting tremor and bradykinesia ('O'). These symptoms are currently limiting their ability to perform fine motor tasks and impacting their self-care routines."

Plan: Be specific and actionable. Don't just write "continue therapy." Instead, write: "Plan to focus next session on improving dynamic balance during turns using obstacle courses. Will also introduce visual cues to assist with gait initiation to minimize freezing episodes." This shows a clear path forward and demonstrates your professional expertise.

There's a lot to note here.

However, generally, it's important to note that your SOAP note for Parkinson's disease should always properly communicate the state of things with a patient. This is the reason we built soapnotes.doctor.