SOAP, DAP, and BIRP are the three most common structures for clinical progress notes. They differ in how they separate what the patient reports from what the clinician does, which is why each one fits a different kind of practice. ClinicFrame generates any of them automatically from the visit, and you can switch between them for the same session without recording again.
The three formats at a glance
| Format | Sections | Common in |
|---|---|---|
| SOAP | Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan | Primary care, pediatrics, cardiology, general practice |
| DAP | Data, Assessment, Plan | Therapy and behavioral health |
| BIRP | Behavior, Intervention, Response, Plan | Mental health with documented interventions |
When to use SOAP
SOAP is the default across most of medicine. It separates the patient's subjective report from your objective findings, which suits any encounter with an exam component. If you are unsure which format to choose, SOAP is the safe starting point. See AI SOAP notes for how each section gets filled.
When to use DAP
DAP is common in therapy and behavioral health. It merges subjective and objective information into a single Data section, which fits conversational sessions where splitting the two adds little. Therapists who want a leaner note than SOAP tend to prefer it.
When to use BIRP
BIRP is used in mental health settings that need to document interventions explicitly. By keeping the clinician's Intervention and the client's Response in separate sections, it makes behavioral change legible over time, which helps with treatment plans and insurance or case review.
How ClinicFrame handles formats
- The Enhanced note reads the encounter and picks the clinically appropriate structure on its own; see what the Enhanced note is.
- Or you choose the format: generate the note in SOAP, DAP, BIRP, or a custom template.
- One session can hold notes in more than one format. Use New format to regenerate without re-recording.
- Set a default format once and every session starts there.