ChatGPT Prompts for Occupational Therapists: Documentation, Treatment Planning, and Patient Education
Occupational therapy practice runs on documentation. Progress notes, treatment plans, home programs, insurance letters, caregiver education — all of it takes time away from direct patient care. These prompts produce compliant, professional drafts you can adapt in minutes rather than build from scratch.
SOAP note framework
For daily progress documentation:
"Write a SOAP note framework for an occupational therapy session with the following details. Patient: [age, diagnosis, functional goal]. Subjective: patient reported [symptoms, pain level, concerns, progress since last visit]. Objective: observed [ROM measurements, functional task performance, standardized test scores, ADL performance]. Assessment: [progress toward goals, barriers, clinical reasoning for continued treatment]. Plan: [next session focus, HEP update, equipment recommendations, frequency and duration]. Format as a professional OT SOAP note. Keep clinical language appropriate for insurance documentation while being readable."
Well-structured SOAP notes survive audits. Vague ones get denied.
Functional goal writing
For evaluation reports:
"Write 3 measurable short-term goals and 2 long-term goals for an occupational therapy patient with the following profile: [diagnosis], [current functional status — what they can and cannot do independently], [patient-identified priorities], [living situation]. Goals should follow SMART format, include a meaningful functional outcome rather than isolated ROM/strength numbers, and be written at a level appropriate for insurance authorization. Include a functional baseline statement for each goal."
Goals written around function get authorized. Goals written around impairment get denied.
Home exercise program
For patient instruction handouts:
"Create a home exercise program for an OT patient with [diagnosis/condition]. The patient is: [age, cognitive level, support at home — can they follow written instructions or need pictures/simplified language]. Focus areas: [UE strengthening / fine motor / ADL training / cognitive / fall prevention / etc.]. Include 5-7 exercises or activities with: purpose in plain English, step-by-step instructions, repetitions/frequency, precautions, and signs to stop. Write at a 6th-grade reading level. Format for a patient handout — no clinical jargon."
A home program the patient actually does creates outcomes. One they can't understand sits in a drawer.
Insurance prior authorization letter
For coverage requests:
"Write a prior authorization letter for occupational therapy services. Patient: [age, diagnosis, functional limitations]. Requested services: [evaluation, treatment visits — number and frequency, equipment]. Clinical justification: [specific functional deficits, how OT will address them, evidence base for this patient population, expected functional outcomes]. The payer is [Medicare / commercial insurance / Medicaid — state]. Include: medical necessity language, functional status baseline, measurable goals, and why this cannot be addressed through less intensive means. Attach as a supporting letter to the prior auth form."
Insurance denials are almost always about missing functional necessity language, not about what you're actually doing.
Caregiver training documentation
For family education sessions:
"Write a caregiver training documentation template for an OT educating a family member on [specific topic: safe transfers / fall prevention home modifications / ADL assistance techniques / cognitive strategies for dementia care / adaptive equipment use]. Include: what was taught, how it was demonstrated, return demonstration by caregiver, caregiver's demonstrated competency, areas needing reinforcement, and follow-up plan. Write as a clinical note that documents the education session for the medical record."
Discharge summary
For completing episodes of care:
"Write a discharge summary template for an occupational therapy episode. Patient: [diagnosis, age, treatment duration]. Admission functional status: [what they could not do independently at start]. Discharge functional status: [what they can do now, what remains limited]. Goals achieved: [list with percentage progress]. Goals not achieved: [with reason — plateau, insurance denial, patient preference, etc.]. Home program: [what they will continue independently]. Recommendations: [follow-up with OT if needed, other referrals, equipment needs, caregiver training completed]. Discharge to: [home / SNF / home with services]."
Referral response letter
For physician communication:
"Write a professional letter from an occupational therapist to a referring physician summarizing evaluation findings and treatment plan. Physician referred for: [diagnosis/reason]. Evaluation findings: [functional assessment results, standardized test scores, observed deficits]. OT diagnosis and clinical impression: [functional impact on ADLs/IADLs]. Treatment plan: [goals, approach, frequency, duration]. Recommendations for the physician: [any additional referrals, medication considerations, equipment, follow-up]. Tone: peer-to-peer, clinical, concise — 1 page maximum."
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Less documentation time. More patient time.
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