Progress notes have grown by 60% in length over the past decade. (Not exactly what anyone asked for.)

If you’ve ever stared at a blank screen, unsure where to start, you’re not alone. It’s easy to over-document when you don’t have a structure that works for you.

Whether it’s SOAP, DAP, BIRP, or PIE, familiarizing yourself with the right structure can help you stay brief, clear, and focused on what actually matters. 

So, let’s take a look at these different types of progress notes. I promise you’ll be on your way to your next coffee break with a little more clarity to your day.

3 Popular types of progress notes

The most common types of progress notes are SOAP, DAP, and BIRP. 

Here’s a quick overview of each technique: 

SOAP notes

A SOAP note (also formatted as APSO) stands for Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan. They’re a progress note format that is commonly used in medical and therapeutic settings to capture comprehensive treatment plans. They’re structured, logical, and ideal for cases that need a clearer record of patient interactions, treatments, or diagnostic reasoning. 

As one licensed massage therapist shares on Reddit, SOAP notes are especially valuable when working with clients who attend sessions regularly for continued care. “If you are working on a client with wellness goals, how else can you track those goals?”

What do you write in a SOAP note?

Subjective: The patient's symptoms and subjective information. “The patient says he has been feeling very tired and having headaches every morning.”

Objective: Objective data based on your observations. “The patient’s blood pressure measured 145/90. The patient was observed rubbing his temples during the exam.”

Assessment: A description of their diagnosis. “Stress-induced tension headaches. No signs of neurological deficits.”

Plan: A treatment summary and how you'll track progress. “Recommend stress management techniques and a follow-up in two weeks. Prescribe acetaminophen for headache relief as needed.”

Pros of using the SOAP format:

• A widely accepted structure for documenting patient interactions.
• A detailed format to help coordinate multi-provider care.
• Supports insurance and auditing needs. 
• Improves documentation accuracy by capturing both reported symptoms and objective data.

Cons of using the SOAP format:

• Rigid structure that can cause repetition and redundancy of notes in some settings.
• More time-consuming to complete than other formats.
• Not suitable for tracking and documenting behavioral changes over time. 

📌 Related Resources: What is the Benefit of Using SOAP Notes?

DAP notes

A DAP note stands for Data, Assessment, and Plan. DAP notes aren’t too different from SOAP notes, except that they emphasize measurable data instead of subjective and objective reasoning. Think of it as a simplified version that makes it a good fit for fast-paced settings or patients with short-term goals. 

What do you write in a DAP note?

Data: “Patient presented to the ER with complaints of acute chest tightness and shortness of breath for the past 3 hours. Vitals: BP 138/85, HR 102.”

Assessment: “Symptoms consistent with anxiety-induced hyperventilation. No acute cardiac event suspected.”

Plan: “Provided reassurance and guided breathing techniques to reduce hyperventilation. Advised outpatient follow-up with primary care and mental health specialist.”

Pros of using the DAP format:

• A quick and concise structure that’s easy to complete and reduces overdocumentation.
• Suitable for case managers or crisis response teams dealing with fast or high-volume settings . 
• A more flexible format than SOAP. 

Cons of using the DAP format:

• Less detailed than SOAP, making it challenging for complex medical cases. 
• Not suitable for documenting interactions for continuous care or in multi-provider settings.

BIRP notes

BIRP stands for Behavior, Intervention, Response, and Plan. This format is designed for behavioral health interventions or therapy sessions. It’s a popular choice among therapists, helping them track behavioral changes and responses over time.  

“I’ve used the BIRP format for about 3 years now, and it’s my favorite. I can complete a note in about 5 to 7 min,” says one user on Reddit in response to a post about struggles with completing SOAP notes. 

What do you write in a BIRP note? 

Behavior: “Patient presented with frequent fidgeting and sighing during therapy session. Verbally expressed feelings of frustration with work stress.”

Intervention: “Therapist discussed time management techniques to reduce stress. Provided psychoeducation on sleep hygiene”

Response: “Patient engaged in breathing exercises and reported feeling slightly calmer by the end of the session. Expressed willingness to track sleep patterns.”

Plan: “Assign sleep journal homework to monitor patterns. Reassess anxiety levels in the next session”

Pros of using the BIRP format:

• A format built around the specific documentation needs of behavioral health and therapy sessions.
• Less time-consuming form of therapy notes to complete.
• Allows therapists to measure behavioral progress over a period of time. 

Cons of using the BIRP format:

• Not as widely accepted as the SOAP format by insurers, healthcare providers, and electronic health record (EHR) systems. 
• Not suitable for cases that require medical or diagnostic data. 

What are some other common types of progress notes? 

• PAIP notes: This format stands for Problem, Assessment, Intervention, Plan. PAIP notes can be used to document client progress in behavioral health cases, substance use treatment, or for case management. It’s less comprehensive than a SOAP note while maintaining a similar structure. 
• PIE notes: This format stands for Presentation, Intervention, Evaluation. It’s more concise than a SOAP note while still allowing for evidence-based documentation in acute settings. It’s commonly used by clinicians looking for shorter, action-oriented notes. 
• GIRP notes: This format stands for Goal, Intervention, Response, Plan. Unlike a BIRP note, GIRP notes focus on a client’s progress toward a goal instead of changes in behavioral responses. It’s commonly used in social work and case management settings that center around specific client goals and progress over time.

Why are there different types of progress notes? 

Using one progress note format forever would be like drinking the same coffee every day—sometimes you need a strong, quick fix (hello, iced Americano), and other times, something more refined and slow-brewed.

Each progress note format has its time and place. It gives clinicians the flexibility to capture notes in the most logical and practical way without compromising standardization. 

Being able to use different types of progress notes gives clinicians the freedom to work smarter and make documentation work for them. 

• It helps you adapt to different types of healthcare settings: Physicians need more concise and quick documentation in an emergency room than when working on long-term treatment plans with patients. On the other hand, psychiatrists require notes that can help capture behavioral changes and responses over time. This is just one example of how format flexibility can help you work better in different settings.
• It enhances clinician efficiency: You might have your own preferences based on your experience over time. The volume of patients you’re seeing that day, the flexibility offered by your employer, time limitations, and the size of a care team can influence the type of progress note you choose. 

How to decide which type of progress note to use

Before choosing a format, ask yourself:

• Your practice setting: Do you need detailed diagnostic notes (SOAP) or quick, intervention-focused summaries (BIRP/DAP)?
• Your patient’s needs: Are you tracking long-term behavioral changes or focusing on immediate treatment plans?
• Your workflow: Do you have time for structured notes, or do you need a faster approach?

Now, onto the big question: “How do I know when to use what?”

Here’s a quick cheat sheet.

• SOAP notes: Best for medical professionals, psychiatrists, or multi-provider teams that need detailed records — like a nurse documenting a patient’s post-operation conditions and responses to medication. 
• BIRP notes: Best for behavioral health interventions, counseling and therapy notes—  like a psychologist tracking a client’s response to cognitive behavioral techniques.
• DAP notes: Best in settings with time constraints or higher volumes of patients — like an ED physician recording a patient’s treatment plan before discharge. 

How to write better progress notes

Here are a few helpful tips for writing progress notes, regardless of what format you’re using!

• Take short, handwritten notes during sessions: This tip is from a Reddit user, @alexdania, who is also a social worker. These short notes come in handy later to help jog their memory and reduce the likeliness of forgetting important details when writing full progress notes later.
• Be as brief as possible: Note bloat happens when clinicians copy and paste findings that already exist in medical charts, lab results, and prior progress notes. Highlight relevant findings that can’t be found in the rest of your chart, and keep your notes straight to the point.
• Complete your notes by the end of the day: Sometimes the stress of writing progress notes comes not from the act of writing it, but in preparing for it. Not delaying your notes will help keep important details fresh in your mind so you’re not wracking your brain later with notes piling up. Setting a firm deadline for yourself can help establish that urgency and accountability.
• Use Epic SmartPhrases or dot phrases for faster notes: Pre-built text shortcuts will help you quickly insert commonly used phrases into your progress notes. This helps you save time while standardizing your documentation too.
• Use transcription software to speed up documentation: AI-powered transcription tools, like Freed, turn spoken dictations into structured progress notes and therapy notes that you can customize into the format of your choice. Instead of typing everything from scratch, you can quickly capture, templatize, and refine your notes, giving you more time to focus on patient care.

Find what works best for you 

There’s no shame in dreading progress notes. In fact, that's probably a common sentiment. 

But here’s the good news: You don’t have to do it alone.

Whether it’s choosing the right format, using templates, or letting AI handle the heavy lifting, there are ways to make documentation work for you — not the other way around.

Freed turns your spoken notes into structured progress notes in seconds. No typing, no staring at a blank screen, no burnout.

Try it free today—no credit card required.