Mehr Zeit mit Patientinnen und Patienten — weniger Zeit am Schreibtisch

Steinar Heiberg is a physiotherapist at Dr. Dropin and experiences what many in healthcare know all too well: too much time behind the screen, too little time with patients. With Journalia, he has clearly shifted that balance.

15–20 minutes per patient — just on documentation

Physiotherapy is a hands-on profession. Treatment happens through mobilization, exercises, tests, and manual therapy. But for every patient Steinar treats, a clinical note awaits to be written.

“I used to spend between 15 and 20 minutes on documentation per patient. That means almost half of my workday went to writing. It was frustrating — especially because I knew my time should be spent on treatment,” says Steinar.

The challenge is amplified by the requirements for structured documentation. Physiotherapists are expected to write SOAP notes — subjective findings, objective findings, assessment, and plan — and every element must be correctly placed. A free-text note simply won't do.

“Now I can actually spend my time on what I was trained to do”

When Steinar started using Journalia, he noticed an immediate difference. The conversation with the patient was recorded, transcription happened in real time, and a complete SOAP note was ready when the consultation ended.

“It took a little time to trust that the notes were good enough. But after a few days, I realized the quality was actually better than what I wrote myself — because the system captures everything that was said, not just what I remembered afterwards,” says Steinar.

Today, he spends 2–3 minutes per patient reviewing the automatically generated note. The rest of his time is freed up for what he was trained to do: treating patients.

Structured SOAP notes — automatically

One of the advantages Steinar highlights is that Journalia understands the SOAP structure and places information in the correct section automatically:

• Subjective (S):The patient's own descriptions of symptoms, pain location, and functional impairment are captured from the conversation.
• Objective (O): Clinical findings, test results, and range of motion that Steinar mentions during the examination are documented correctly.
• Assessment (A): A summary of clinical evaluation based on findings and medical history.
• Plan (P): Treatment plan, home exercises, and follow-up appointments are recorded as discussed with the patient.

“Previously, I had to structure everything myself. Now Journalia does it for me, and I just verify that it's correct. It doesn't just save time — it also produces more consistent notes,” Steinar explains.

From frustration to job satisfaction

For Steinar, it's about more than efficiency. It's about job satisfaction and professional identity. He became a physiotherapist because he wants to help people with their bodies and movement — not because he wants to sit in front of a screen.

“It's hard to explain what a huge difference it makes. When you suddenly have hours of extra time during the week — time you can use to see more patients, or simply go home on time — you notice it in your entire quality of life,” says Steinar.

He now recommends Journalia to colleagues who recognise the documentation burden — and especially encourages physiotherapists and chiropractors to try the tool.

Steinar Heiberg is a physiotherapist at Dr. Dropin, where he works with musculoskeletal conditions focusing on manual therapy and active rehabilitation.