Which section of the SOAP note indicates a patient's level of pain to a provider?

• A. Subjective
• B. Objective
• C. Assessment
• D. Plan

Answer: (A)

Pain level is a patient-reported symptom documented in the Subjective portion of the SOAP note. The Subjective section captures what the patient tells you—descriptions of symptoms, including how severe the pain is, where it hurts, how long it has lasted, and what makes it better or worse. The numeric pain rating (for example, 6/10) comes directly from the patient and reflects their experience, not something the clinician measures on examination. In contrast, the Objective section lists what you observe or measure (vital signs, physical exam findings), the Assessment contains the clinician’s diagnosis, and the Plan outlines treatment and follow-up. So the patient’s stated pain level belongs in the Subjective data.